Carbon monoxide awareness is something every homeowner should have, especially during the heating season. As an odorless and colorless gas, CO requires us to be proactive about detection and prevention rather than relying on our senses to alert us to a problem.

This guide is meant to be a helpful resource for families across Granger, Mishawaka, South Bend, Elkhart, and the surrounding communities. We'll walk through what carbon monoxide is, how it can affect health, and the straightforward steps you can take to protect your household.

What Is Carbon Monoxide?

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a gas produced whenever fuels like natural gas, propane, oil, or wood burn. In your home, common sources include furnaces, water heaters, gas stoves, fireplaces, and space heaters. Under normal circumstances, these appliances vent combustion gases safely outside through flues and chimneys.

Problems can arise when equipment malfunctions, venting becomes blocked, or appliances aren't properly maintained. A cracked heat exchanger in a furnace, a blocked chimney flue, or inadequate ventilation can all allow CO to accumulate indoors. This is why regular maintenance and working detectors are so important—they provide the early warning that the gas itself cannot give us.

Recognizing the Signs of Carbon Monoxide Exposure

One of the challenges with carbon monoxide is that its symptoms can resemble other common illnesses, which sometimes leads to delayed recognition. Being familiar with these signs can help you respond appropriately if exposure occurs.

Common symptoms include:

Headaches
Dizziness or lightheadedness
Nausea
Fatigue or weakness
Confusion
Shortness of breath

A helpful indicator to be aware of: if symptoms improve when you leave the house and return when you come back, or if multiple family members experience similar symptoms at the same time, it's worth investigating whether CO could be a factor. Infants, elderly family members, and those with heart or respiratory conditions may be more sensitive to exposure.

Understanding the Health Effects

Carbon monoxide affects the body by binding to hemoglobin in the blood more readily than oxygen does. This reduces the amount of oxygen that reaches your organs and tissues. The severity of health effects depends on the concentration of CO and the duration of exposure.

Short-term exposure at lower levels typically results in the flu-like symptoms mentioned above, which generally resolve once a person is removed from the exposure and given fresh air. Higher concentrations or prolonged exposure can lead to more serious effects, including loss of consciousness.

In some cases, people who have experienced significant CO exposure may develop delayed symptoms days or weeks later, even after initially feeling better. These can include difficulty with memory or concentration. This is one reason why medical evaluation is recommended after any known CO exposure, even if you feel fine afterward.

The good news is that with proper prevention measures, the vast majority of CO incidents are avoidable.

A Practical Carbon Monoxide Safety Checklist

Taking care of your home's CO safety doesn't require specialized knowledge. Here are the steps we recommend for every household:

Carbon Monoxide Detectors

Install detectors on every level of your home
Place one near each sleeping area so it can wake you if needed
Test detectors monthly by pressing the test button
Replace batteries at least once a year (many people do this when clocks change)
Replace the detector itself according to manufacturer guidelines, typically every 5–7 years

Heating Equipment Maintenance

Have your furnace inspected annually, ideally before heating season begins
Include your water heater in regular maintenance checks
Have chimneys and flues inspected and cleaned yearly if you use a fireplace or wood stove
Change furnace filters regularly to help your system run efficiently

Signs Your Equipment May Need Attention

A furnace flame that burns yellow or orange instead of blue
Soot or discoloration around appliances
Unusual condensation on windows near gas appliances
Unfamiliar odors when heating equipment runs (while CO itself is odorless, other combustion byproducts may have a smell)

General Safety Practices

Never run generators, grills, or vehicles in enclosed spaces like garages
Avoid using gas ovens or stovetops as a heat source
Keep outdoor vents clear of snow, leaves, and debris, especially after storms
Make sure all fuel-burning appliances have adequate ventilation

If Your CO Detector Goes Off

Having a plan in place ahead of time helps everyone respond calmly. If your carbon monoxide detector alarms:

Have everyone leave the house, including pets
Once outside, call 911 or your local emergency services
Wait for emergency responders to check the home before going back inside
If anyone is experiencing symptoms, let the emergency responders know so they can recommend appropriate medical evaluation

It's better to respond to a detector alarm and find out it was a false alarm than to ignore it. These devices are designed to alert you before CO reaches dangerous levels.

How Cavinder Mechanical Can Help

At Cavinder, we believe that maintaining your heating equipment is one of the most practical things you can do for your family's wellbeing. During our furnace tune-ups, our technicians check for the conditions that can lead to CO problems: we inspect heat exchangers for cracks, verify that flues and venting are clear and functioning properly, and confirm that combustion is occurring as it should.

If we find something that needs attention, we'll explain what we found and discuss your options. We're not in the business of creating unnecessary worry or pushing services you don't need. We're here to give you accurate information so you can make good decisions for your home.

We're also happy to answer questions about CO detector placement or help you understand what to look for in a quality detector. Sometimes the simple stuff makes the biggest difference.

Taking Care of Your Home

Carbon monoxide safety comes down to a few consistent habits: maintaining your equipment, keeping working detectors in place, and knowing how to respond if an alarm sounds. These aren't complicated steps, but they're meaningful ones.

Your home should be a place where your family can rest easy. We're glad to be part of helping make that possible for families throughout Northern Indiana.

Schedule a Furnace Inspection

If it's been a while since your heating system was checked, or if you have questions about CO safety in your home, we're here to help. Cavinder Mechanical serves Granger, South Bend, Mishawaka, Elkhart, and communities throughout Northern Indiana. Give us a call at (574) 633-4557 or schedule online.