Each year over 20,000 people visit the hospital as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning. This colorless, odorless gas is known as the silent killer because it’s practically undetectable without a carbon monoxide detector.
Carbon monoxide, according to the CDC, is produced by fireplaces, boilers, furnaces, stoves, and gas ranges so it only makes sense that carbon monoxide poisoning rises during the colder months when people are trying to warm their homes. To help keep your family safe, Atmostemp Service Experts is here with some tips to safety keep your home heated.
- Install a CO detector on all floors of your home and change the batteries annually.
- Keep all potential sources of combustion, such as bedding, paper, or clothing, a distance over three feet away from furnaces, space heaters, fire places, or stoves.
- Before lighting a fire in the fireplace, be sure to check to verify the chimney damper is open and unblocked.
- Never leave portable heaters or fireplaces alone. Turn off space heaters and make sure all embers in the fireplace are completely 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 young ones and furbabies away from space heaters.
- When purchasing a new space heater, purchase a model that turns off automatically if the heater tips over.
- Don’t use a cooking range to warm your home.
- Have wood and coal stoves, fireplaces, chimneys and gas or oil furnaces professionally checked and cleaned annually.
The ideal thing you can do for your heating equipment is to be sure it’s not only ready to keep you warm all winter but also safe, is to set-up your fall tune-up. During your fall tune-up, Atmostemp will check to ensure your heating equipment is operating safely with a total multi-point inspection and cleaning. Call 856-310-4824 today and learn how you can save on a furnace tune-up through November 25th.