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By now we
all know that carbon monoxide is a very dangerous, colorless, odorless
gas, generally associated with your home heating system, but for a little
better understanding, let's take a quick trip back to school chemistry
class. The gas or oil you burn for home heating are compounds known as
hydrocarbons (hydrogen + carbon). In your Stove or Fire these hydrocarbons
are mixed with oxygen from the air in your home, and burned to produce
heat.. When your Stove or Fire and chimney are working properly, the gas
or oil is burned more or less completely, and the resulting fumes are
mainly carbon dioxide (carbon + 2 oxygen atoms) and water vapor. If your boiler
doesn't get enough oxygen, either because the house is too tight or the
chimney isn't functioning properly, carbon monoxide (carbon +1 oxygen
atom) is produced instead. It's the lack of that one little oxygen atom
that causes all the trouble.
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