Every year over 20,000 people end up in the emergency room due to carbon monoxide poisoning. This colorless, odorless 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 rises during the colder months when people are trying to heat their homes. To help keep your home safe, Stevenson Service Experts is here with a few tips to safety keep your home heated.
- Place a CO detector on every floor of your home and replace the batteries yearly.
- Keep all possible sources of combustion, such as bedding, paper, or clothing, a distance over three feet away from space heaters, stoves, furnaces or fireplaces.
- Before starting a fire in the fireplace, always check to verify the chimney damper is open and unclogged.
- Do not leave portable heaters or fireplaces unattended. Power off space heaters and make sure all embers in the fireplace are completely 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 children and pets away from space heaters.
- When investing in a new space heater, buy a model that powers off automatically if the heater falls over.
- Never use a oven to heat your home.
- Have wood and coal stoves, fireplaces, chimneys and gas or oil furnaces professionally checked and cleaned every year.
The best thing you can do for your furnace is to be sure it’s not only ready to keep you warm all winter but also safe, is to schedule your heating tune-up. During your furnace tune-up, Stevenson will check to make sure your furnace is operating safely with a complete multi-point inspection and cleaning. Call 937-503-7896 today and ask how you can save on a heating tune-up through November 25th.