Can Your Gas Logs Be Making You Sick?
Over the last few years, all across America, there has been an explosion (pardon the pun) of gas logs in homes.
Gas logs are very convenient.
If you have a dinner appointment, you can simply turn the gas logs off and leave for your dinner engagement.
If you are using real wood in the fireplace, it isn't as easy--and it is never a good idea to leave your home if you have a fire in the fireplace; it really puts a damper on a wonderful evening out, to return home to find a big red fire truck in your front yard.
I am a Chimney Sweep in the upstate of South Carolina, and I have seen and heard about everything you can imagine.
Like I said, gas logs are very convenient.
If you have a power outage, they are a great source of back-up heat.
But, if they are not installed correctly or serviced as they should, they can be a pain in the nose.
Your sinuses are the first to let you know if you have a problem.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, your chimney should be cleaned or serviced yearly; this includes furnaces, and gas logs.
When you first bought your new car, everything was fine when you cranked the engine to drive to work in the morning but, as the car got some age over a few years it started to smoke when it was first cranked; Gas logs are the same way.
They need attention just like your car.
If you start to see sooting on top of the logs or find soot on the mantel, or worse yet on your hankie when you blow your nose...
you have a problem.
If left un-corrected, the sooting can get worse and you will be painting the interior of your home (and possibly replacing curtains and carpeting).
Health wise, gas logs that are not serviced can cause carbon monoxide poisoning and/or severe migraine headaches.
Make sure that when you are burning vented gas logs, you have your damper open to the fully open position.
Un-vented gas logs do not require you to leave the damper open but, I always tell my customers to leave the damper open on the first notch (or about an inch), so that in the event of a problem, smoke can vent out of the living area.
Gas logs are very convenient.
If you have a dinner appointment, you can simply turn the gas logs off and leave for your dinner engagement.
If you are using real wood in the fireplace, it isn't as easy--and it is never a good idea to leave your home if you have a fire in the fireplace; it really puts a damper on a wonderful evening out, to return home to find a big red fire truck in your front yard.
I am a Chimney Sweep in the upstate of South Carolina, and I have seen and heard about everything you can imagine.
Like I said, gas logs are very convenient.
If you have a power outage, they are a great source of back-up heat.
But, if they are not installed correctly or serviced as they should, they can be a pain in the nose.
Your sinuses are the first to let you know if you have a problem.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, your chimney should be cleaned or serviced yearly; this includes furnaces, and gas logs.
When you first bought your new car, everything was fine when you cranked the engine to drive to work in the morning but, as the car got some age over a few years it started to smoke when it was first cranked; Gas logs are the same way.
They need attention just like your car.
If you start to see sooting on top of the logs or find soot on the mantel, or worse yet on your hankie when you blow your nose...
you have a problem.
If left un-corrected, the sooting can get worse and you will be painting the interior of your home (and possibly replacing curtains and carpeting).
Health wise, gas logs that are not serviced can cause carbon monoxide poisoning and/or severe migraine headaches.
Make sure that when you are burning vented gas logs, you have your damper open to the fully open position.
Un-vented gas logs do not require you to leave the damper open but, I always tell my customers to leave the damper open on the first notch (or about an inch), so that in the event of a problem, smoke can vent out of the living area.
Source...