Boilers' Dangerous Output - Carbon Monoxide
A Guernsey couple in their 60s were found dead at their home in Oberlands, St Martin's, on 4 October 2007. They were killed by carbon monoxide poisoning, an inquest on the 15th October 2007 has heard.
Investigations were conducted to identify the source of the toxic fumes that have caused this tragedy. The investigations have put the blame for the toxic fumes on the heating boiler which was in a dangerous condition due to a lack of maintenance.
Heating Central recommends conducting annual checks for your boiler and central heating systems to check for faults and creeping faults that might become acute. Calling a corgi certified plumber or heating engineer will give you peace of mind that your boiler is safe to use and there are no immediate problems. It is also important to take note that you should only call a fully certified engineer to undertake this check. The importance of ‘getting it right’ can not be over estimated. Only a fully trained and Corgi certified plumber or heating engineer will give you a sound advice and peace of mind that your boiler and heating systems are safe.
Current estimates put the number of people in the UK killed by carbon monoxide at around 30 people per year. Most of these accidents happen as a result of a faulty or un-serviced boiler or a blocked flue. Carbon monoxide has no taste, odour and is impossible to detect without the right equipment. The human blood stream absorbs the gas very rapidly and the breathing is impaired. If too much carbon monoxide is inhaled, the risks can be severe, causing a coma and ultimately death by asphyxiation.
Heating Central’s professional plumbers and heating engineers have many years of experience with combating carbon monoxide poisoning. The plumbers recommend following easy steps to minimise the dangers of carbon monoxide. Such steps include keeping good levels of maintenance on all gas appliances (such as your gas boiler), ensuring the chimneys and flues are regularly swept and the rooms are well ventilated.
This page has been written with contributions from experienced plumbers from Berkshire and heating engineers from Westminster. Several of the company's qualified plumbers from Buckinghamshire have worked on similar issues as well as some of our experienced heating engineers from Chelsea and our Sevenoaks plumbers.
