Every year over 20,000 people go to the emergency room because of carbon monoxide poisoning. The odorless, colorless gas is called the silent killer because it’s essentially undetectable without a carbon monoxide detector.
Carbon monoxide, as specified by the CDC, is produced by fireplaces, boilers, furnaces, stoves, and gas ranges so it only makes sense that carbon monoxide poisoning climbs during the winter months when people are trying to keep their homes heated. To help keep you safe, McElroy Service Experts is here with some tips to safety keep your home heated.
- Place a CO detector on every floor of your home and swap out the batteries yearly.
- Keep all possible sources of combustion, such as clothing, rugs, or bedding, at least three feet away from furnaces, space heaters, fire places, or stoves.
- Before igniting a fire in the fireplace, be sure to check to confirm the chimney damper is open and unobstructed.
- Do not leave portable heaters or fireplaces neglected. Turn off space heaters and confirm all embers in the fireplace are totally extinguished before leaving either heating source unattended.
- Space heaters should always be situated on the floor, and on a hard, fire-resistant surface, like ceramic tile. Keep kids and pets away from space heaters.
- When investing in a new space heater, buy a model that shuts off automatically if the heater tips over.
- Never use a stove to heat your home.
- Have fireplaces, chimneys, gas or oil furnaces, and coal and wood stoves professionally inspected and cleaned yearly.
The best thing you can do for your furnace is to ensure it’s not only up to the task of keeping your home warm all winter but also safe, is to set-up your heating tune-up. During your heating tune-up, McElroy will check to be sure your heating system is operating safely with a complete multi-point inspection and cleaning. Call 308-210-4398 today and learn how you can save on a fall tune-up through November 25th.