Useful info.
If you don’t have to deal with this kind of cold normally you might be tempted to use what you have for heat, but you might not know what’s safe. This is non-exhaustive and I’ll link as many resources as I can, but the bottom line is you gotta be extremely careful when burning anything for heat because even with ventilation carbon monoxide can easily build up and that shit can kill you fast if you don’t notice.
-Never idle a car in an enclosed space. If your garage is attached to your house, never warm up the car in your garage even with the door open. If your garage is detached, you can warm up the car in the garage as long as the garage door is wide open.
-Don’t sleep in an idling car, especially during a snowstorm. A few reasons: First, if it runs out of gas during the night you’re stuck with no heat AND no fuel to get anywhere. If it snows overnight it could block your exhaust pipe and allow CO to flood the cabin. And this last one is rarer but even with a perfectly clear exhaust pipe, there could be a leak in your exhaust system that allows CO to build up.
If the car is the only warmth available, idle it for brief periods to warm up and then turn it off and set an alarm to idle it later. Open the windows every once in a while to vent the air.
-Never pile up snow around your car. Either you got snowed in, or you’re stranded off the side of the road. You’d think that snow will insulate the car and let you stay warm longer- DO NOT. Snow makes it harder for rescuers to find you. It gets your car even more stuck and it’s really easy to damage your car in the process of digging it back out. Finally if you block the exhaust system too much then CO will quickly build up in the cabin.
-Never start a car when the tailpipe is blocked by snow. Even in the short time it takes to dig out the car, CO can reach deadly levels. Dig the car out first, THEN start it.
-Never use propane or charcoal (like a grill) for heat indoors. I get it, it’s available, but it’s incredibly dangerous. People have already been hospitalized in Houston this week from using their grills for heat. These grills are made to be used outside, where there’s no way for dangerous gases to build up. Also, it’s a huge fire risk.
-Never use an oven or gas range for heat. Same reasons as propane.
-If your house has a fireplace and chimney, don’t use it unless you know it’s been inspected and deemed safe. Just like a blocked exhaust pipe on your car, a blocked chimney won’t vent CO properly and it can build up in your home. Also, if it hasn’t been inspected in a long time, it may be structurally unsound or full of stuff like twigs or squirrel nests that are a serious fire risk.
-If you have a gas generator, make sure it’s far enough away from your house. Never run it inside, or in a basement or garage.
-Get a battery-powered CO detector.
Click2Houston: Carbon Monoxide Safety Primer
NSC: Basic CO Safety
CPSC: CO Information Center and Resources