Each year over 20,000 people end up in the hospital due to carbon monoxide poisoning. The odorless, colorless gas is referred to as the silent killer because it’s practically undetectable without a carbon monoxide detector.
Carbon monoxide, according to the CDC, is put off by stoves, gas ranges, boilers, furnaces, and fireplaces so it only makes sense that carbon monoxide poisoning climbs during the winter months when people are trying to warm their homes. To help keep your family safe, Falso Service Experts is here with a couple tips to safety heat your home.
- Install a CO detector on all floors of your home and change the batteries annually.
- Keep all likely sources of combustion, such as paper, clothing, bedding, or rugs, a distance over 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.
- Do not leave portable heaters or fireplaces unwatched. Power off space heaters and make sure all embers in the fireplace are fully extinguished before leaving the area.
- Space heaters should always be placed on the floor, and on a hard, fire-resistant surface, like concrete or tile. Keep kids and animals away from space heaters.
- When buying a new space heater, invest in a model that powers off automatically if the heater tips over.
- Never use a stove to heat your home.
- Have all stoves, fireplaces, chimneys, and all types of furnaces professionally examined and cleaned yearly.
The ideal thing you can do for your furnace is to be sure it’s not only all set to keep your family warm all winter but also safe, is to call for your furnace tune-up. During your furnace tune-up, Falso will check to ensure your heating system is operating safely with a full multi-point inspection and cleaning. Call 315-313-6531 today and ask how you can save on a fall tune-up through November 25th.