Safety first!

Unfortunately, there have been several accidents in Hungary involving carbon monoxide poisoning that were caused by the incorrect use, poor functioning, and improper operation of gas appliances. These accidents could have been avoided with a little careful attention.

Gas appliances that are connected to a chimney or do not have ventilation for flue gas can only be used safely if the air used for burning is being constantly replenished. The air can be replenished by opening windows to the outdoors or through gaps or cracks in doors and windows.

It is now possible to buy airtight doors and windows that do not allow for the replenishment of air. There is, however, a great variety of exhaust fans that are available at affordable prices. We would like to offer the following advice about using these:

If the doors and windows of a room are airtight, there will not be enough air to use an open-burning gas appliance safely. Combustion will be incomplete if the air is not being replenished. When this happens, carbon monoxide – a colorless, odorless, poisonous gas – will be produced and, without any airflow, will build up in the room. When installing airtight doors or windows, it is absolutely necessary to also install ventilation equipment that provides fresh air to replace the air that is consumed when the gas appliance is used. This equipment is available in stores.

If you have a gas appliance (which gets the air used for burning from the indoor air space) in your home and it is connected to the chimney, and

• your home’s doors and windows have been made airtight with insulation, or
• you operate exhaust equipment, a central vacuum cleaner, or a fireplace at the same time as a heater, or
• you have not separately installed some kind of air intake appliance or device to furnish air for the heater;

then the gas appliance’s air supply is unstable, and flue gas will flow back into the room and lead to serious poisoning and even death. If a building has had any renovations (doors or windows replaced, insulation put on doors and windows, exhaust fans installed, fireplaces installed) since the technical handover of the building’s gas fixtures, everything should be inspected right away in order to avoid the danger of accidents. If the technical handover of your gas supply occurred more than five years ago, have authorized experts make an inspection this year. This inspection could also be used to identify and eliminate any dangerous situations.

ATTENTION!

If you are planning to renovate your home or if you have already done so, we would like to ask you to be sure to contact a building services engineer to get a proper, safe technical solution.