Heating & Cooking Safely
Carbon monoxide kills quietly
Every year people die during outages by bringing grills, generators, or charcoal indoors. CO has no smell, no color, no taste. It does not care that you were cold. The rule is absolute: anything that burns fuel lives outside — always, even briefly, even in the garage with the door open.
At a glance
- Anything that burns fuel runs outside — always, even briefly, even in an open garage.
- Generators 20+ ft from the house; grills 10+ ft from any wall, window, or eave.
- Battery CO alarms: one per floor, near sleeping areas, tested monthly.
- Symptoms that fade outdoors and return indoors = CO — fresh air immediately, then medical help.
The outdoor rules
| Equipment | Where it may run |
|---|---|
| Charcoal or propane grill | Outdoors, 10+ ft from any wall, window, or eave |
| Camp stove | Outdoors, or fully open porch only — never indoors, never in tents |
| Generator | Outdoors, 20+ ft from the house, exhaust pointing away, never near windows/vents |
| Gas oven or range | Cooking only, brief use — never as a room heater |
| Fireplace / wood stove | Indoors OK only if vented properly and chimney inspected and clear |
Garages attached to houses leak CO inside even with the door open. Snow-blocked car exhaust pipes have killed sleeping families — clear tailpipes before running a vehicle for heat or charging.
Recognizing CO poisoning
- Dull headache first — then dizziness, nausea, weakness, confusion, sleepiness
- Several people in the house feeling the same thing at once = strong hint
- Feelings fade outdoors and return indoors = strong hint
- Action: everyone into fresh air immediately, doors open behind you, seek medical help — CO poisoning needs oxygen treatment, not rest
Buy the $20 guardrail
Battery-powered CO alarms cost about as much as takeout and are the only reliable warning. One per floor, near sleeping areas, tested monthly. During any outage involving fuel-burning gear, treat the alarm like smoke detector seriousness.
Heating one room, the honest way
- Pick the smallest livable room (see Emergency Shelter) and seal it against drafts.
- Dress in loose layers; hats and wool socks do more than most heaters.
- If you have a proper fireplace or wood stove: burn dry seasoned wood only, keep a metal screen on, move anything flammable 3+ ft away, and crack a window an inch for airflow.
- No safe heater? Then it is blankets, layers, shared body heat, and time — boring, slow, and completely safe beats warm and dead.
Fuel discipline
- Propane tanks: outdoors storage, upright, away from doors/windows and ignition sources; check for leaks with soapy water (bubbles), never a flame.
- Gasoline: approved containers only, shed/garage preferred, filled to ~95% to allow expansion, labeled.
- Never refuel a hot engine; spills evaporate before restarting.
- Candles: never unattended, never near curtains, glass jar types preferred — and remember candles are lighting, not heating.
Grounded in public-domain CPSC/FEMA/CDC carbon monoxide and generator safety guidance. Educational only.