Each year over 20,000 people go to the emergency room as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning. This colorless, odorless gas is called the silent killer because it’s essentially undetectable without a carbon monoxide detector.
Carbon monoxide, according to 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 winter months when people are trying to heat their homes. To help keep your family safe, Coastal Service Experts is here with a couple tips to safety warm your home.
- Put in a CO detector on all floors 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 space heaters, stoves, furnaces or fireplaces.
- Before igniting a fire in the fireplace, always check to confirm the chimney damper is open and unobstructed.
- Never leave portable heaters or fireplaces alone. Power off space heaters and make 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, nonflammable surface, like concrete or tile. Keep young ones and pets away from space heaters.
- When buying a new space heater, buy a model that shuts off automatically if the heater tips over.
- Never use a cooking range to warm your home.
- Have fireplaces, chimneys, gas or oil furnaces, and coal and wood stoves professionally examined and cleaned yearly.
The ideal thing you can do for your furnace is to ensure it’s not only ready to keep your home warm all winter but also safe, is to set-up your heating tune-up. During your heating tune-up, Coastal Service Experts will check to ensure your heating equipment is operating safely with a total multi-point inspection and cleaning. Call 912-208-2399 today and find out how you can save on a fall tune-up through November 25th.