Annually, over 20,000 people visit the ER because 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 put off by stoves, gas ranges, boilers, furnaces, and fireplaces so it only makes sense that carbon monoxide poisoning increases during the colder months when people are trying to keep their homes heated. To help keep your family safe, Chief / Bauer Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning is here with some tips to safety heat your home.
- Place a CO detector on all floors of your home and replace the batteries every year.
- Keep all potential sources of combustion, such as bedding, paper, or clothing, a distance over three feet away from fireplaces, furnaces, stoves, or space heaters.
- Before starting a fire in the fireplace, be sure to check to verify the chimney damper is open and unblocked.
- Never leave portable heaters or fireplaces neglected. Turn off space heaters and confirm all embers in the fireplace are totally extinguished before going to bed or leaving home.
- Space heaters should always be positioned on the floor, and on a hard, fire-resistant surface, like ceramic tile. Keep young ones and furbabies away from space heaters.
- When purchasing a new space heater, invest in a model that powers off automatically if the heater tumbles over.
- Don’t use a stove to warm your home.
- Have fireplaces, chimneys, gas or oil furnaces, and coal and wood stoves professionally inspected and cleaned every year.
The ultimate thing you can do for your furnace is to ensure it’s not only all set to keep your family warm all winter but also safe, is to schedule your fall tune-up. During your furnace tune-up, Chief / Bauer Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning will check to be sure your heating equipment is operating safely with a total multi-point inspection and cleaning. Call 217-689-2469 today and ask how you can save on a heating tune-up through November 25th.