With record amounts of snow, and high winds causing drifts, it’s easy for things to get covered. This includes exhaust pipes coming out of your home. If they are blocked, fumes from furnaces, water heaters, and dryers can clog, causing carbon monoxide build up.
The Lima Fire Department advises residents to be aware of where their exhaust pipes are. Some exit through the roof, but some are closer to the ground. They should be shoveled around and clear of snow to prevent the harmful gas in your home.
"Because you won’t know it. You won’t smell it," says Warren Pughsley, an Inspector with the Lima Fire Department. "You know, you’ll kind of feel nauseated or some flu-like symptoms and you might just think, 'oh, I might be coming down with something' like, no you might be getting poisoned. And you could easily prevent it if you simply just clean out the vents, clean around it from the snow.”
Pughsley also asks for the public's help to keep fire hydrants visible above the snow, so they can be easily located in an emergency.
