Stove and carbon monoxide: preparing for the heating season

September 21, 2020

It is the beginning of autumn, which means that for many people it is warm during the day, but quite cold at night. In the midst of the heating season, the number of incidents due to violations of safety rules when operating stove heating traditionally increases. Improper use of a stove can lead not only to a fire, but sometimes to death. Recommendations from the Ministry of Emergency Situations on how to avoid disaster are in the following material.

When using gas water heaters or stoves, it is necessary to remember that carbon monoxide has no color or smell. It is formed during any type of combustion and is also contained in exhaust gases. The first sign is that a person begins to feel a headache and suffocation. At high concentrations, loss of consciousness and paralysis occur. And if the gas concentration in the air is more than 1.2%, a person dies in a few seconds.

In order not to get carbon monoxide poisoning, remember that you should not close the stove damper prematurely, i.e., until the coals have completely burned out. In this case, the stove should be heated at least two hours before going to bed.

Rescuers also recommend remembering a number of other rules:

– in severe frosts, it is recommended to heat the stove two to three times a day for no more than one and a half hours. This will prevent overheating;

– there should be no cracks or gaps in the stove, and the chimney should have good draft and be whitewashed with lime mortar. This is done so that cracks appearing over time can be noticed against a white background;

– during the heating season, clean the chimney of soot at least once every 2 months;

– the stove and chimney, in places where they connect with wooden ceilings, should have a thickening of brickwork or insulation;

– to prevent accidental falling burning coals from causing a fire, nail a metal sheet of at least 50x70 cm in front of the firebox on the wooden floor. It can be made of non-combustible brick;

– under no circumstances use flammable and combustible liquids for kindling;

– do not leave firebox doors open and the heating stove unattended. This is a direct path to a fire;

– keep clothes, furniture, firewood, and other combustible materials at least one and a half meters away from the stove;

– dispose of ash and burnt-out coals no closer than 15 meters from buildings;

– do not leave a heating stove unattended and do not allow children to light them themselves.