It’s time to clear the vents! High efficiency furnaces, water heaters, and other fossil-fuel burning appliances may have exhaust vents that leave your home or building through an exterior wall. During the winter months these vents may become covered and blocked with ice and snow. To safely operate your equipment, you want to make sure that these vents are clear of both. Do not use shovels or snow blowers to uncover, this can result in breaking or cracking the vent. Also clear the snow away from your gas meter, do not allow for any dripping water or freezing rain to build up on the meter. Remove any hanging icicles that may be above the vents or meter.

Keep it clear!By not clearing the snow away from the furnace and hot water exhaust pipes you can cause blockages. When this happens, you can have them malfunction or stop working, or worse leak carbon monoxide (CO) into the home. Please be aware of the dangers and risks of CO. Carbon monoxide is a poisonous, odorless, and tasteless gas. CO is harmful when breathed because it displaces oxygen in the blood and deprives the heart, brain, and other vital organs of oxygen. If it isn’t clear, your home can’t breath!

Tips to stay safe of carbon monoxide:

  • Clear the snow away from exhaust vents
  • Make sure your vent system is working properly for furnace, stove, dryer, and water heater
  • Get your furnace check every winter
  • Make sure to have working carbon monoxide detector inside your home
Jason Brown

Recent Posts

Why You Should Upgrade to a Tankless Water Heater

For many of us, having enough hot water was always a challenge when we were…

5 days ago

Energy Efficiency in Your Commercial Building is a Breeze with the Right HVAC

With every passing year, the importance of achieving and maintaining energy efficiency becomes more and…

1 week ago

Understanding SEER Ratings: What Homeowners Need to Know

As energy costs continue to soar year after year, homeowners are quickly learning to be…

4 months ago

Why You Should Consider a Whole-Home Dehumidifier

High humidity levels in a home can be a dangerous, if innocuous-seeming thing. Who hasn’t…

5 months ago