Annually, over 20,000 people end up in the hospital as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning. The odorless, colorless gas is referred to as the silent killer because it’s essentially undetectable without a carbon monoxide detector.
Carbon monoxide, as confirmed 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 heating months when people are trying to heat their homes. To help keep your family safe, A1 Chesney Service Experts is here with some tips to safety keep your home heated.
- Place a CO detector on every floor of your home and replace the batteries annually.
- 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 igniting a fire in the fireplace, be sure to check to verify the chimney damper is open and unblocked.
- Don’t leave portable heaters or fireplaces alone. Turn off space heaters and be sure all embers in the fireplace are fully extinguished before going to bed or leaving home.
- Space heaters should always be placed on the floor, and on a hard, fire-resistant surface, like ceramic tile. Keep children and animals away from space heaters.
- When buying a new space heater, invest in a model that powers off automatically if the heater tumbles over.
- Never use a oven to warm 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 make sure it’s not only ready to keep you warm all winter but also safe, is to call for your furnace tune-up. During your heating tune-up, A1 Chesney will check to make sure your furnace is operating safely with a full multi-point inspection and cleaning. Call 587-315-5271 today and ask how you can save on a heating tune-up through November 25th.