Tips to Safely Heat Your Home This Winter

Every year over 20,000 people visit the emergency room as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning. This colorless, odorless gas is known as the silent killer because it’s practically undetectable without a carbon monoxide detector. 

Carbon monoxide, according to the CDC, is put off by gas ranges, furnaces, fireplaces, stoves, and boilers so it only makes sense that carbon monoxide poisoning rises during the colder months when people are trying to warm their homes. To help keep your family safe, A1 Chesney Service Experts is here with some tips to safety warm your home. 

• Put in a CO detector on each floor of your home and swap out the batteries every year. 
• Keep all possible sources of combustion, such as paper, clothing, bedding, or rugs, a minimum of three feet away from space heaters, stoves, furnaces or fireplaces. 

• Before lighting a fire in the fireplace, make sure you check to confirm the chimney damper is open and unobstructed. 
• Never leave portable heaters or fireplaces unattended. Power off space heaters and be sure all embers in the fireplace are totally extinguished before leaving either heating source unattended. 
• Space heaters should always be positioned on the floor, and on a hard, incombustible surface, like ceramic tile. Keep children and furbabies away from space heaters. 
• When purchasing a new space heater, invest in a model that turns off automatically if the heater tips over. 
• Never use a stove to heat your home. 

• Have wood and coal stoves, fireplaces, chimneys and gas or oil furnaces professionally inspected and cleaned annually. 

The ultimate thing you can do for your furnace is to be sure it’s not only up to the task of keeping your family warm all winter but also safe, is to set-up your fall tune-up. During your heating tune-up, A1 Chesney Service Experts will check to ensure your heating equipment is operating safely with a complete multi-point inspection and cleaning. Call 587-315-5271 today and learn how you can save on a heating tune-up through November 25th.