ROCK HILL, SC (WBTV) - A furnace can be described as the lungs of your house. The air ducts, like veins and arteries.
"If you have a restriction or clot in your veins and arteries you have problems out of your heart and lungs same thing with your system," said Phillip Porter with Rock Hill Comfort Systems.
Porter pulled a furnace out of a house in Rock Hill last Friday. They were just giving it a yearly check up until they saw a two inch thin crack in the wall of the heat exchanger.
He says a crack like that would leak Carbon Monoxide into a house.
Carbon Monoxide is odorless and tasteless. Most store-bought detectors like this one won't even sound off until the CO reaches 200 parts per million in a house.
By that time, it's too late. You're probably already getting sick with dizziness, headaches, and nausea.
The maximum allowable levels of Carbon Monoxide in a living space is one to nine parts per million.
"Heat exchangers can crack or burn holes any time of the year," said Porter.
Porter uses a special small fiber optic camera to check the wall of the heat exchanger for cracks.
Porter says a simple yearly check like this could save your life and save your furnace from the recycle bin.
For the month of February, Comfort Systems in Rock Hill is giving free furnace inspections for Senior Citizens, Veterans, and Active Duty Military.
They are working on a campaign for public awareness of the dangers of Carbon Monoxide
Homeowners will be shown a picture of their heat exchanger and CO levels will be measured.
For more details call 803-324-7572.
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