Each year over 20,000 people end up in the emergency room as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning. This odorless and colorless gas is known as 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 climbs during the colder months when people are trying to warm their homes. To help keep your family safe, Niagara Home Services by Enercare is here with some tips to safety warm your home.
- Place a CO detector on each floor of your home and change the batteries every year.
- Keep all possible sources of combustion, such as bedding, paper, or clothing, a minimum of three feet away from space heaters, stoves, furnaces or fireplaces.
- Before starting a fire in the fireplace, always check to ensure the chimney damper is open and unobstructed.
- Never leave portable heaters or fireplaces alone. Turn off space heaters and be sure all embers in the fireplace are completely extinguished before leaving either heating source unattended.
- Space heaters should always be positioned on the floor, and on a hard, fire-resistant surface, like concrete or tile. Keep young ones and furbabies away from space heaters.
- When purchasing a new space heater, invest in a model that shuts off automatically if the heater tumbles over.
- Do not use a oven to heat your home.
- Have wood and coal stoves, fireplaces, chimneys and gas or oil furnaces professionally examined and cleaned every year.
The ideal thing you can do for your heating equipment 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 furnace tune-up. During your furnace tune-up, Niagara Home Services by Enercare will check to ensure your heating system is operating safely with a total multi-point inspection and cleaning. Call 289-273-2229 today and find out how you can save on a fall tune-up through November 25th.