Annually, over 20,000 people end up in the emergency room due to carbon monoxide poisoning. The odorless, colorless gas is called the silent killer because it’s virtually undetectable without a carbon monoxide detector.
Carbon monoxide, as specified by the CDC, is given off by stoves, gas ranges, boilers, furnaces, and fireplaces so it only makes sense that carbon monoxide poisoning increases during the heating months when people are trying to warm their homes. To help keep your family safe, Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning is here with a couple tips to safety warm your home.
- Install a CO detector on each floor of your home and swap out the batteries annually.
- Keep all potential sources of combustion, such as paper, clothing, bedding, or rugs, a minimum of three feet away from fireplaces, furnaces, stoves, or space heaters.
- Before igniting a fire in the fireplace, make sure you check to confirm the chimney damper is open and unclogged.
- Never leave portable heaters or fireplaces unwatched. Turn off space heaters and confirm 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, nonflammable surface, like porcelain tile. Keep kids and pets away from space heaters.
- When investing in a new space heater, buy a model that shuts off automatically if the heater tips over.
- Don’t use a cooking range to heat your home.
- Have fireplaces, chimneys, gas or oil furnaces, and coal and wood stoves professionally inspected and cleaned annually.
The ultimate thing you can do for your furnace is to be sure it’s not only ready to keep your family warm all winter but also safe, is to schedule your fall tune-up. During your heating tune-up, Service Experts will check to ensure your heating equipment is operating safely with a complete multi-point inspection and cleaning. Call 925-364-5427 today and ask how you can save on a heating tune-up through November 25th.