Every year 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 produced by gas ranges, furnaces, fireplaces, stoves, and boilers so it only makes sense that carbon monoxide poisoning rises during the winter months when people are trying to warm their homes. To help keep you safe, Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning is here with some tips to safety warm your home.
- Install a CO detector on every floor of your home and replace the batteries yearly.
- Keep all likely 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, be sure to check to ensure the chimney damper is open and unobstructed.
- Don’t leave portable heaters or fireplaces neglected. Shut off space heaters and be sure all embers in the fireplace are totally extinguished before leaving the area.
- Space heaters should always be positioned on the floor, and on a hard, fire-resistant surface, like concrete or tile. Keep kids and animals away from space heaters.
- When purchasing a new space heater, purchase a model that powers off automatically if the heater tips over.
- Do not use a cooking range to warm your home.
- Have wood and coal stoves, fireplaces, chimneys and gas or oil furnaces professionally examined and cleaned yearly.
The best thing you can do for your heating system is to be sure it’s not only ready to keep you warm all winter but also safe, is to schedule your fall tune-up. During your fall tune-up, Service Experts will check to make sure your furnace is operating safely with a complete multi-point inspection and cleaning. Call 352-414-4006 today and find out how you can save on a fall tune-up through November 25th.