Buffalo is in a heatwave!  A friend of ours just came back from vacation and to save energy, they had turned off their central air when they left.  When they came home, the house was extremely hot and stuffy. They shared with us what it was like just last summer when they didn’t have central air in their home.

“When we walked in from vacation, we instantly remembered how we had suffered in years past. Our upstairs would get so hot, it was almost unbearable and sleeping was miserable at times. There were many nights when the kids would camp out in our bedroom, since it was the only room with an a/c unit in the window.”

“Once you have central air, you just couldn’t imagine life without it.”

It’s not too late to get central air in your home.  Just call Emerald Heating & Cooling today. We’ll take good care of you!  716-681-0100

HEAT ADVISORY

Warning:  This heat can be dangerous. Make sure you (and your pets) drink plenty of water and limit your time in the heat whenever possible. The National Weather Service reminds us to watch out for these conditions in this extreme heat:

Sunburn: Redness and pain. Sometimes severe sunburn occurs and may include swelling of skin, blisters, fever, headaches. Treatment: Ointments for mild cases if blisters appear and do not break. If breaking occurs, apply dry sterile dressing. Serious, extensive cases should be seen by a doctor.

Heat Cramps: Painful spasms usually in the muscles of legs and abdomen. Heavy sweating. Treatment: Firm pressure on cramping muscles or gentle massage to relieve spasm. Give sips of water. If nausea occurs, discontinue water.

Heat Exhaustion: Heavy sweating, weakness, skin cold, pale and clammy. Pulse weak. Normal temperature possible. Fainting and vomiting. Treatment: Get person out of sun. Once inside, the person should lay down and loosen clothing. Apply cool, wet cloths. Fan or move victim to air conditioned room. Offer sips of water. If nausea occurs, discontinue water. If vomiting continues, seek immediate medical attention.

Heat Stroke (or sunstroke): High body temperature (106° F or higher). Hot dry skin. Rapid and strong pulse. Possible unconsciousness. Treatment: HEAT STROKE IS A SEVERE MEDICAL EMERGENCY. CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY OR GET THE VICTIM TO A HOSPITAL IMMEDIATELY. DELAY CAN BE FATAL. White waiting for emergency assistance, move the victim to a cooler environment Reduce body temperature with cold bath or sponging. Use extreme caution. Remove clothing, use fans and air conditioners. If temperature rises again, repeat process. Do not give fluids. Persons on salt restrictive diets should consult a physician before increasing their salt intake.

Before the heating season got underway, we were already getting reports of carbon monoxide poisoning.  This winter, people will die from CO poisoning. Tragically, these will be preventable deaths.

The symptoms of CO poisoning are similar to those of stomach flu.  They include nausea, diffculty catching your breath, headaches and light-headedness.

Our Buffalo heating company can inspect your home today.

Unlike the stomach flu, CO symptoms will disappear when you leave the source. If you have flue like symptoms that appear only when you are at home or work, this may be carbon monoxide. Further evidence is provided when more than one person shares these symptoms.

If you suspect carbon monoxide poisoning, get fresh air immediately. Open doors, turn off appliances, and leave the building.

Remember, infants, children and the elderly are at greater risk and affected by lower levels of exposure.

Pregnant women should be especially alert since a fetus is more sensitive to carbon monoxide than the mother. If you suspect carbon monoxide poisoning, get to a hospital or clinic and describe your concern. A simple blood test can confirm carbon monoxide poisoning. Don’t risk it.

Backdrafting

Backdrafting occurs when the pressure inside the house is less than the pressure outside the house and the exhaust from natural drafting gas appliances is sucked back into the house.

Backdrafting is more of an issue today than the past due to tighter construction standards.  A bathroom fan may be enough to create negative pressure in a tightly sealed house.

Backdrafting can also result from leaking return air duct work, wood burning fireplaces (a fire can pull several hundred cubic feet of air out of the house each minute, causing appliances to backdraft), high wind conditions that result in high pressure on the windward side of the house and low pressure on the downward side, and so on.

Our Buffalo heating experts are available 24/7

You can minimize the potential for backdrafting by installing modern, energy efficient gas furnaces, wood stoves and water heaters that feature sealed combustion systems.  Sealed combustion appliances draw outside air for combustion and exhaust combustion by-products outdoors.  Since indoor air is not used for combustion, backdrafting is not a concern.

Another option is power vented furnaces or water heaters. These products use indoor air for combustion, but use a fan to exhaust combustion by-products outside.

Energy Tip – Keep your furnace clean, lubricated and property adjusted with annual maintenance.  If your furnace is working at peak efficiency, it will use less energy and cost less to operate.

To start, background levvels of carbon monoxide are always present in the atmosphere.  Some occurs naturally from volcanic activity and forest fires. Automobile and industrial emissions also contribute to background levels.

Home Dangers

In the home, carbon monoxide can come from tobacco smoke, unvented gas space heaters and appliances, as well as  automobile, lawn mower, generator and other small engine exhaust that enters the home.  You can minimize these risks by avoiding the indoor use of unvented appliances, by leaving your garage open when your car is running (and by not leaving the engine on while the car is in the garage), by starting and stopping small gas engines outside of the garage, and by locating gas generators outside away from doors, windows, or vents. Carbon monoxide can also occur in the home when a gas appliance’s flue is improperly sized, becomes disconnected, or the flue becomes partially restricted.  A bird nest in the wrong place, for example, may become deadly.  Flues should be checked at the start of each heating season!

Our Buffalo heating experts are available 24/7

Another potential source of carbon monoxide is your home’s furnace.  Heat sections should be checked each fall to ensure the heat exchanger is leak free.  Additionally, properly adjusted burners not only mean more efficient operation, but less risk of carbon monoxide resulting from incomplete combustion.

Energy Tip – Insulate Your Water Heater – Hot water accounts for 13% of the typical utility bill, so improving the efficiency of your heater can go a long way toward saving energy and cutting down on carbon emissions.  Consider wrapping your old heater in a layer of insulation.  For the nominal cost of about $15, an insulation jacket can reduce heat lost through the walls of the tank by 25-40%

Carbon Monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless gas that’s a by product of gas combustion. CO can cause illness and death before you’re aware of its presence.

Fortunately, with good ventilation and well maintained, properly adjusted gas and wood burning appliances, the chances are good you will have little fear from carbon monoxide.

Symptoms of CO Poisoning

The symptoms of CO poisoning are similar to the stomach flu. They include nausea, difficulty catching your breath, headaches and being light headed.

Unlike the stomach flu, CO symptoms will disappear when you leave the source.  If you have flu-like symptoms only when you were at home or work, this may be carbon monoxide. Further evidence is provided when more than one person shares these symptoms.

What Should I Do?

If you suspect carbon monoxide poisoning, get fresh air immediately. Open doors, turn off appliances and leave the building.

Remember infants, children and the elderly are at greater risk and affected by lower levels of exposure. Pregnant women should be particularly alert since a fetus is more sensitive to carbon monoxide than the mother.

If you suspect carbon monoxide poisoning, get to a hospital or clinic and describe your concern.  A simple blood test can confirm carbon monoxide poisoning.  Don’t take the risk.

Also, if you suspect a problem, or have had an alarm sound, call us immediately and we can test any gas appliance for proper operation and safety.