Tired of Ohio Winters? Turn on Your Gas and Oil Furnaces
Posted by Raymond Plumbing Heating and Air Conditioning on Fri, Jan 29, 2010
While some Northern Ohio furnaces run on heating oil, most U.S. homes are heated by natural gas-burning furnaces.
How Gas Furnaces Work
Here’s how gas furnaces work. Hot gases created by the burning gas pass through curved metal tubing called a heat exchanger, then exit your home through a vent pipe. At the same time, the air circulating through your home is directed over the heat exchanger where it absorbs the heat from the hot metal. This warmed air is then circulated through your home by the furnace fan.
Why does gas smell like rotting eggs? The natural gas used to run your furnace is an odorless, colorless, highly-flammable gas. Because natural gas can be highly dangerous, particularly in enclosed spaces like your home, a minute amount (less than 1%) of ethyl mercaptan is added to serve as a warning should a gas leak develop. This stinky additive creates the distinctive sulfuric smell associated with natural gas.
Natural Gas can be Dangerous to your Health
Why is gas dangerous? Natural gas is an asphyxiant that can cause suffocation and death. As natural gas leaks into the air, it displaces the air’s oxygen content. When the oxygen level drops below 19.5%, suffocation gradually occurs. Asphyxiation progresses through several stages. At first breathing and pulse rates increase. Headache, nausea and drowsiness develop. Vision problems may be experienced with dizziness and confusion. As the level of gas increases, muscle coordination fails. Muscles feel weak and develop tremors. As oxygen levels fall below 8%, unconsciousness (narcosis) occurs. Extremities become numb and turn bluish (cyanosis) from lack of oxygen in the blood. The central nervous system is permanently damaged and death follows. If oxygen levels continue to decrease below 6.5% to 3.8%, the gas ignites.
A tragic scenario and one that can be avoided with an annual Heating Performance Check by a licensed home heating professional. It is not to late to have a heating performance check. Schedule today!