Home Safety: How to Childproof Your Home HVAC, Plumbing and Electrical Systems 

As a parent, absolutely nothing is more essential than ensuring your child’s safety. As soon as your little ones start crawling, it seems like the house looks like one big hazard! The HVAC, plumbing and electrical systems are particularly concerning. With this guide from the Experts at Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing, you can ensure your home’s essential systems are properly babyproofed—which is one less thing to worry about!

Hands Off Your HVAC Vents and Registers

HVAC registers that fit over the air vents in your home often prove to be irresistible exploration opportunities for small children. Here are ways to make sure they are safe:

• Secure registers: If your floor or wall registers easily pop out, fix them in place so they won’t come off.
• Install childproof vent covers: These use a fine mesh to keep small objects from falling inside without restricting airflow throughout your home.

No Touching the Thermostat

Kids are attracted to buttons and screens, which makes the thermostat a potentially fun and exciting plaything. Follow these tips to stop curious toddlers from creating temperature control problems in your home:

• Install the thermostat away from children: The thermostat should be installed at adult eye level. Avoid placing furniture near it that could encourage kids to climb up for a closer look.
• Secure the controls: Some thermostats feature safety functions to stop anyone from fiddling with the settings. If yours doesn’t have this feature, consider adding a thermostat cover that prevents curious kids from adjusting the temperature.

Make the Utility Closet Off Limits

If your HVAC system is located in your home’s basement or utility closet, this is an extremely important place for babyproofing. These are no places for [babies|children|infants or toddlers|any child}, so try these tips to keep them safe:

• Install doorknob covers: If the utility area is enclosed, you have an easy task. Simply put a childproof cover on the doorknob to prevent your kids from opening the door to get inside.
• Add a safety gate: If your heating or air systems are in an open area, install a safety gate to block adventurous crawlers from getting too close to your furnace or water heater.
• Test your carbon monoxide detectors: Every home should have at least one carbon monoxide detector on each floor, especially if you have gas appliances. Unfortunately, plug-in versions are easy for kids to reach. Consider placing combination CO/smoke detectors on the ceiling for maximum safety.

Protect Your Baby from Burns

In many homes, the threat of burn injuries isn’t limited to your home’s utility room. Here are other ways to shield your child from the dangers of hot surfaces:

• Place heat guards: Put a baby gate or specially designed heat guard around heat-producing appliances or equipment, baseboard heaters or fireplaces to build a barrier between infants and potentially dangerous hot surfaces.
• Avoid space heaters: A correctly adjusted and serviced heating system should heat your entire home, and there should be no requirement to use a space heater to attract curious kids.

Childproof Your Home’s Electrical System

We all need electricity for modern living, but power also poses safety hazards for toddlers. Here’s how to childproof your home’s electrical system:

• Add outlet covers: Building code requires that new receptacles be tamper resistant. If you have old outlets, you can increase safety by adding outlet covers. Choose childproof covers instead of plug-in styles, because clever children can sometimes take off the plug-in styles.
• Tape down cords: Exposed cords are a chewing risk. Use cord concealers or fasten them along the baseboards. Power strip covers are also effective for preventing kids from reaching the sockets.
• Keep the electrical panel secured: If your electrical panel is somewhat low to the ground, make sure it’s firmly closed and locked to stop inquisitive kids from playing with it.

Safeguard Your Plumbing

Babies love water play. That’s why it’s so vital to take preventive measures to make sure they stay safe around home plumbing fixtures like sinks, tubs and toilets. Try these babyproofing tips for plumbing systems:

• Control the water temperature: Turn your water heater to 120 degrees F to prevent scalding at the tap. However, be careful not to turn the temperature down any cooler than this, because this could risk microbial growth in the tank.
• Install a faucet cover: Has your baby ever hit her or his head on the bathtub faucet? Cushioned covers are an easy way to prevent this kind of injury.
• Install toilet locks: Babies are often fascinated by the toilet. A special lock keeps little ones from getting covered in unsanitary water or tossing toys inside, which can result in pipe clogs.

Call Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing for HVAC, Plumbing or Electrical Services in the U.S.

With these babyproofing tips, you can confidently create a protected environment in your home. At Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing, we’re pleased to help parents protect their little ones with fast HVAC, plumbing and electrical services in the U.S.. We are dedicating to making a meaningful difference in the lives of every family member we serve—even the little ones! Contact Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing at 866-397-3787 today for exceptional workmanship and customer service.