Annually, over 20,000 people end up in the emergency room as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning. This odorless and colorless gas is referred to as the silent killer because it’s essentially 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 climbs during the winter months when people are trying to warm their homes. To help keep your family safe, Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning is here with a few tips to safety warm your home.
- Place a CO detector on every floor of your home and change the batteries every year.
- Keep all possible sources of combustion, such as bedding, paper, or clothing, a minimum of three feet away from furnaces, space heaters, fire places, or stoves.
- Before igniting a fire in the fireplace, make sure you check to verify the chimney damper is open and unblocked.
- Do not leave portable heaters or fireplaces alone. Shut off space heaters and be sure all embers in the fireplace are completely extinguished before going to bed or leaving home.
- Space heaters should always be positioned on the floor, and on a hard, nonflammable surface, like ceramic tile. Keep kids and pets away from space heaters.
- When purchasing a new space heater, purchase a model that turns off automatically if the heater falls over.
- Never use a stove to warm your home.
- Have fireplaces, chimneys, gas or oil furnaces, and coal and wood stoves professionally examined and cleaned annually.
The best thing you can do for your furnace is to make sure it’s not only all set to keep you warm all winter but also safe, is to schedule your heating tune-up. During your furnace tune-up, Service Experts will check to make sure your heating system is operating safely with a total multi-point inspection and cleaning. Call 866-397-3787 today and learn how you can save on a furnace tune-up through November 25th.