Annually, over 20,000 people end up in the emergency room due to carbon monoxide poisoning. This odorless and colorless gas is called the silent killer because it’s virtually 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 winter months when people are trying to heat their homes. To help keep your home safe, Matz-Rightway is here with a couple tips to safety warm your home.
- Put in a CO detector on every floor of your home and swap out the batteries yearly.
- Keep all potential sources of combustion, such as clothing, rugs, or bedding, at least three feet away from fireplaces, furnaces, stoves, or space heaters.
- Before igniting a fire in the fireplace, always check to confirm the chimney damper is open and unblocked.
- Never leave portable heaters or fireplaces neglected. Shut off space heaters and be sure all embers in the fireplace are totally extinguished before leaving the area.
- Space heaters should always be placed on the floor, and on a hard, nonflammable 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 powers off automatically if the heater falls over.
- Never use a cooking range to increase the temperature in your home.
- Have all stoves, fireplaces, chimneys, and all types of furnaces professionally inspected and cleaned annually.
The best thing you can do for your heating system is to be sure it’s not only up to the task of keeping your family warm all winter but also safe, is to schedule your furnace tune-up. During your furnace tune-up, Service Experts will check to make sure your furnace is operating safely with a complete multi-point inspection and cleaning. Call 631-406-9220 today and learn how you can save on a heating tune-up through November 25th.