Every year over 20,000 people visit the hospital as a result of 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, as specified by the CDC, is produced by stoves, gas ranges, boilers, furnaces, and fireplaces so it only makes sense that carbon monoxide poisoning increases during the colder months when people are trying to heat their homes. To help keep your family safe, Aramendia Plumbing, Heating and Air is here with some tips to safety heat your home.
- Install a CO detector on each floor of your home and change the batteries annually.
- Keep all potential sources of combustion, such as bedding, paper, or clothing, a minimum of three feet away from furnaces, space heaters, fire places, or stoves.
- Before lighting a fire in the fireplace, make sure you check to ensure the chimney damper is open and unblocked.
- Never leave portable heaters or fireplaces alone. Power 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 situated on the floor, and on a hard, fire-resistant surface, like porcelain tile. Keep kids and furbabies away from space heaters.
- When buying a new space heater, invest in a model that turns off automatically if the heater falls over.
- Never use a stove to increase the temperature in your home.
- Have fireplaces, chimneys, gas or oil furnaces, and coal and wood stoves professionally examined and cleaned every year.
The ideal thing you can do for your heating equipment is to be sure it’s not only all set to keep you warm all winter but also safe, is to call for your furnace tune-up. During your heating tune-up, Aramendia Plumbing will check to be sure your heating equipment is operating safely with a complete multi-point inspection and cleaning. Call 210-404-4233 today and ask how you can save on a furnace tune-up through November 25th.