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Gas Heaters Could Be Blowing More Than Hot Air


The cold temperatures have some of us firing up our heaters for the first time this year. And if you're one of those people, there's a warning tonight to keep you and your family safe.

The number one recommendation from experts, if you have gas heat, is to make sure you have a working carbon monoxide detector nearby.

More than over heating or fires, your furnace could pose a risk of you getting carbon monoxide poisoning.

Barbara Puett has been living without heat for about the past week. "It just wouldn't turn on," she says. "It just wouldn't do, when I punched that button, you know we're so used to the automatic push the button and it works."

With the thermostat not working she's been keeping warm by the fire. Which has been enough -- until now. "We've had such nice weather and it wasn't until this really cold spell that we realize that fire's going to have to be on every time we come in the house or walk downstairs," says Puett.

She finally caved and called in a professional. "It really picks up when we have cold snaps like we've just had. But there again, the danger in that is that nobody's ran their system since last year and you don't know what's happened," says Chad Wade a Service Repair representative.

He discovered Puett's problem was a broken safety valve that is designed to keep the system from overheating. It's an easy fix, but for Wade the biggest threat could be a leak in carbon monoxide.

Other than having a smoke and carbon monoxide detector nearby there's no way to know if your system has a leak. The experts say if you have any doubts at all, call in a professional.

By Karen Kiley