Make It Safe: Babyproofing Your Home HVAC, Plumbing and Electrical Systems 

As a parent, nothing is more important in life than protecting your baby’s safety. As soon as your little ones start crawling, it seems like the house feels like one big hazard! The HVAC, plumbing and electrical systems are especially concerning. With this guide from the Experts at Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning, you can make sure your home’s essential systems are thoroughly babyproofed—which gives you one less thing to worry about!

Block Access to Air Vents and Registers

HVAC grills that fit over the air vents throughout your residence often prove to be irresistible areas for small children. Here’s how to keep them safe:

• Fasten registers: If your floor or wall registers easily detach, screw them in place to make sure children can’t pry them loose.
• Install babyproof vent covers: These use a small grid to stop small objects from falling inside without hindering airflow throughout your residence.

No Touching the Thermostat

Kids are fascinated by buttons and screens, which makes the thermostat a potentially fun and exciting plaything. Follow these tips to prevent little family members from creating temperature control problems in your home:

• Move the thermostat out of reach: The thermostat should be installed at a level high enough where kids can’t easily reach it. Avoid placing objects near it that could tempt kids to climb up for a closer look.
• Lock the controls: Some thermostats feature locking functions to prevent anyone from fiddling with the settings. If yours doesn’t have this feature, consider investing in a thermostat cover that stops curious kids from adjusting the temperature.

Block Access to HVAC and Mechanical Room Equipment

If your HVAC system is located in your home’s basement or utility closet, this is a very important place for babyproofing. These are no places for [babies|children|infants or toddlers|any child}, so try these tips to keep them safe:

• Put on doorknob covers: If a home’s utility area is enclosed, you are in luck. Simply put a childproof cover on the doorknob to prevent your kids from opening the door to the room.
• Install a safety gate: If your heating and cooling equipment is in an open area, set up a safety gate to block intrepid crawlers from getting too close to your furnace or water heater.
• Inspect your carbon monoxide detectors: Every home should have at least one carbon monoxide detector on each floor, especially if you have gas appliances. Unfortunately, plug-in versions are simple for kids to access. Consider mounting combination CO/smoke detectors on the ceiling for maximum safety.

Protect Your Baby from Burns

In many homes, the threat of burn injuries isn’t restricted to the utility room. Here are other ways to protect your child from the dangers of hot surfaces:

• Place heat guards: Use a baby gate or specially designed heat guard around heat-producing appliances or equipment, baseboard heaters or fireplaces to build a barrier between your child and potentially dangerous hot surfaces.
• Avoid space heaters: A properly adjusted and maintained heating system should heat your entire home, and there should be no need to add a space heater to endanger curious kids.

Childproof Your Home’s Electrical System

We all need electricity to run today’s appliances, but power also poses safety hazards for little ones. Here’s how to childproof your home’s electrical system:

• Install outlet covers: Building code mandates that new receptacles be tamper resistant. If you have old outlets, you can retrofit them with outlet covers. Choose sliding covers instead of plug-in styles, because determined toddlers can sometimes remove the plug-in styles.
• Tape down cords: Exposed cords are a hazardous risk. Use cord concealers or tape them down along the baseboards. Power strip covers are also important for preventing kids from reaching the sockets.
• Keep the electrical panel locked: If your electrical panel is within reach, make sure it’s properly closed and locked to stop inquisitive kids from accessing it.

Increase Plumbing Safety

Babies love playing in water. That’s why it’s so crucial to make sure they stay safe around home plumbing fixtures like basins, tubs and toilets. Try these childproofing tips for plumbing systems:

• Control the water temperature: Set your water heater to 120 degrees F to prevent children from being burned by hot water. Just don’t turn the temperature down any lower than that, because this could risk microbial growth in the tank.
• Install a faucet cover: Has your baby ever hit her or his head on the bathtub faucet? Rubberized covers are an easy way to avoid this type of injury.
• Try using toilet locks: Babies are often intrigued by the toilet. A special lock stops little ones from accessing unsanitary water or tossing toys inside, which can result in pipe clogs.

Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning: Your Trusted Partner for Edmonton HVAC, Plumbing and Electrical Services

With these home safety tips, you can easily create a safe environment in your home. At Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning, we’re honored to help parents protect their families with reliable HVAC, plumbing and electrical services in Edmonton. We are dedicating to making a meaningful difference in the lives of every customer we serve—even the little ones! Contact Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning at 587-404-0790 today for superb workmanship and customer service.