Vented Gas Appliances/CO Sensors (Last Updated 05/09/2006)
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) staff is participating in voluntary standards activities to address CO poisoning hazards associated with vented gas heating appliances in support of CPSC’s strategic goal of reducing carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning deaths. The staff is working with the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Z21/83 Committee to develop a performance requirement that appliances shut down, or exhibit some other preemptive response, when dangerous levels of CO within the appliance are detected. The scope of this project includes vented residential gas heating appliances, such as gas furnaces, boilers, and vented space heaters and fireplaces, that use natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas (LP-gas) for fuel. If these products are not properly installed or maintained, or if they experience component malfunction or defect, they may not burn their fuel completely, resulting in the production of dangerous levels of CO.
Heating systems historically have been the leading cause of unintentional, non-fire CO poisoning deaths associated with consumer products. From 1999-2002, heating systems of all types were associated with 77 of the 141 average estimated non-fire CO poisoning deaths associated with consumer products. During the same period, natural gas, LP-gas, and unspecified gas heating systems were associated with an average yearly estimate of 66 deaths, or 86% of all heating system deaths.
In 2001, CPSC staff began an investigation of combustion gas sensing technologies that might be used to detect CO in appliance flue passageways and provide a shutoff or other preemptive response to dangerous levels of CO. The staff has conducted demonstrations of the efficacy of some of these technologies. Currently, the staff is working with Sandia National Laboratories on a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) sensor technology. In 2006, staff will work with Sandia to demonstrate the use of this sensor to shut down a gas furnace in response to excess CO levels in the flue. The staff will also continue to explore and demonstrate the efficacy of promising commercially available sensor technologies.
Additional Information
Safety Alerts:
Fact Sheets:
Voluntary Standard and Code Activities:
Correspondence to Chairman, ANSI Z21/83 Committee, April 11, 2005
Transmittal of CPSC staff combustion sensor test results- Correspondence to CSA, April 2, 2003
Transmittal of CPSC staff memo on review of CO poisoning incidents involving modern furnaces- Correspondence to CSA, October 16, 2001
Transmittal of CPSC staff furnace combustion sensor test results- Correspondence to CSA, December 13, 2000
Transmittal of CPSC staff memo on annual service contracts for HVAC equipment- Correspondence to CSA, November 14, 2000
Transmittal of CPSC staff emissions test results (furnaces #2-#5) and CO shutoff proposal to ANSI Z21.47, Standard For Gas-Fired Central Furnaces- Correspondence to CSA, August 31, 2000
Transmittal of CPSC staff emissions test results (furnace #1) and disconnected vent proposal to ANSI Z21.47, Standard For Gas-Fired Central Furnaces
CPSC Staff Reports, Memoranda and Contracts:
Combustion Sensor Test Results December 2004
- Furnace Combustion Sensor Test Results September 2001
- Service Contracts for Residential Furnaces August 23, 2000
- Test Results, Furnace CO Emissions Under Normal and Compromised Vent Conditions:
Furnace #1 Draft Hood Equipped, August 2000
Furnace #2 Mid-Efficiency Induced Draft, September 2000
Furnace #3 Mid-Efficiency Induced Draft, October 2000
Furnace #4 High-Efficiency Induced Draft, October 2000
Furnace #5 High-Efficiency Induced Draft, September 2000- Indoor Air Modeling of Furnace CO Emissions Test Results:
Furnace #1 September 1, 2000
Furnace #2 October 19, 2000
Furnace #3 October 23, 2000
Furnace #4 October 20, 2000
Furnace #5 October 25, 2000- Health Concerns Related to Projected Human Exposure to CO:
Furnace #1 August 30, 2000
Furnace #2 October 30, 2000
Furnace #3 October 12, 2000
Furnace #4 November 6, 2000
Furnace #5 October 30, 2000
Contact Canadian Standards Association-America
For further information, contact Al Callahan at al.callahan@csa-america.org
Contact CPSC
For additional information or to comment, please contact cpsc-os@cpsc.gov
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