Tips to Safely Heat Your Home This Winter
Each year over 20,000 people visit the ER due to carbon monoxide poisoning. The odorless, colorless gas is called the silent killer because it’s practically undetectable without a carbon monoxide detector.
Carbon monoxide, according to the CDC, is put off by stoves, gas ranges, boilers, furnaces, and fireplaces so it only makes sense that carbon monoxide poisoning rises during the winter months when people are trying to heat their homes. To help keep your home safe, Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning is here with a few tips to safety warm your home.
- Put in a CO detector on each floor of your home and swap out the batteries yearly.
- Keep all potential sources of combustion, such as clothing, rugs, or bedding, at least three feet away from fireplaces, furnaces, stoves, or space heaters.
- Before starting a fire in the fireplace, be sure to check to confirm the chimney damper is open and unblocked.
- Do not leave portable heaters or fireplaces alone. Turn off space heaters and ensure all embers in the fireplace are completely extinguished before leaving the area.
- Space heaters should always be situated on the floor, and on a hard, incombustible surface, like porcelain tile. Keep children and furbabies away from space heaters.
- When investing in a new space heater, purchase a model that shuts off automatically if the heater tumbles over.
- Don’t use a oven to increase the temperature in your home.
- Have all stoves, fireplaces, chimneys, and all types of furnaces professionally checked and cleaned annually.
The ultimate thing you can do for your heating equipment is to ensure it’s not only up to the task of keeping you warm all winter but also safe, is to call for your furnace tune-up. During your fall tune-up, Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning will check to be sure your furnace is operating safely with a total multi-point inspection and cleaning. Call 587-404-0790 today and find out how you can save on a furnace tune-up through November 25th.