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

As a parent, absolutely nothing is more critical than ensuring your child’s safety. Once your little ones start crawling, it seems like the whole house looks like one big hazard! The HVAC, plumbing and electrical systems are very concerning. With this guide from the Experts at Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing, you can make sure your home’s essential systems are adequately babyproofed—giving you one less thing to worry about!

Block Access to Air Vents and Registers

HVAC covers that fit over the air vents in your home often prove to be irresistible exploration opportunities for small children. Here are ways to make sure they are safe:

• Fasten registers: If your floor or wall registers fit loosely, secure them in place so you can be sure they aren’t going anywhere.
• Install some vent covers: These use a thin screen to stop small objects from falling inside without blocking airflow throughout your home.

Block Access to the Thermostat

Kids tend to zero right in on buttons and screens, which makes the thermostat a potentially fun and exciting plaything. Follow these tips to help keep little family members from creating temperature control problems in your home:

• Place the thermostat away from children: The thermostat should be installed at adult eye level. Avoid placing chairs near it that could encourage kids to climb up for a closer look.
• Lock the controls: Some thermostats feature locking functions to keep anyone from changing the settings. If yours doesn’t have this feature, consider installing a thermostat cover that prevents curious kids from adjusting the temperature.

Make the Utility Closet Off Limits

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

• Add doorknob covers: If a home’s utility area is enclosed, you have an easy task. You can put a childproof cover on the doorknob to prevent your kids from opening the door to get inside.
• Use a safety gate: If your HVAC is in an open area, put up a safety gate to block curious crawlers from getting too close to your furnace or water heater.
• Test your carbon monoxide detectors: Every residence should have at least one carbon monoxide detector on every level, especially if you have gas appliances. Unfortunately, plug-in versions are easy 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 your home’s utility room. Here’s how to keep your child from the dangers of hot surfaces:

• Install heat guards: Use a baby gate or specially designed heat guard around radiators, baseboard heaters or fireplaces to create a barrier between infants and potentially dangerous hot surfaces.
• Stop using space heaters: A professionally adjusted and maintained heating system should heat your entire home, and there should be no requirement to use a space heater to attract curious kids.

How to Childproof Your Electric System

We all need electricity to run today’s appliances, but it also poses safety hazards for toddlers. Here’s how to protect your home’s electric system:

• Add outlet covers: Building code mandates that new receptacles be tamper resistant. If you have old outlets, you can increase safety by adding outlet covers. Choose locking covers instead of plug-in styles, because clever children can sometimes yank out the plug-in styles.
• Hide cords: Exposed cords are a pulling risk. Use cord concealers or fasten them along the baseboards. Power strip covers are also helpful for preventing kids from reaching the sockets.
• Keep the electrical panel secured: If your electrical panel is somewhat low to the ground, make sure it’s securely closed and locked to stop inquisitive kids from playing with it.

Make Sure Your Plumbing Is Safe

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

• Set 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, or you risk microbial growth in the tank.
• Add a faucet cover: Has your baby ever knocked his or her head on the bathtub faucet? Soft covers are a very simple way to stop this sort of injury.
• Install toilet locks: Babies are often very curious about the toilet. A special lock stops little ones from accessing unsanitary water or tossing toys inside, which can result in pipe clogs.

Count on Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing for Reliable HVAC, Plumbing and Electric Service in the U.S.

With these babyproofing tips, you can confidently create a protected environment in your home. At Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing, we’re pleased to help parents protect their children with quick HVAC, plumbing and electrical services in the U.S.. We are proud to follow our motto of making a meaningful difference in the lives of all our customers—even the little ones! Contact Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing at 866-397-3787 today for outstanding workmanship and customer service.