A. Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas that can be fatal when breathed. It's sometimes difficult to determine if carbon monoxide is the culprit, because its symptoms are similar to flu and allergies. Low levels can cause nausea, dizziness, weakness and muscle ache.
Higher doses can impair judgement, cause paralysis or coma, and death.
When combustion equipment is not working properly and causes incomplete combustion When there's a negative pressure balance between the inside and outside of the home, preventing adequate venting of combustion gases. That's when the air pressure inside the home is less than the air pressure outside, causing combustion by-products from furnaces, water heaters, fireplaces and similar equipment to spill back into the room rather than being vented outside. There are carbon monoxide alarms you can install, which will alert you to dangerous levels of carbon monoxide. It is important to choose and place an alarm wisely and maintain it to assure accurate sensing of carbon monoxide. A. Carbon monoxide may be the problem if you feel bad only when you're inside the home and the symptoms gradually disappear after you have left, or if more than one person in the home has similar symptoms.