Every year over 20,000 people end up in the emergency room due to carbon monoxide poisoning. This odorless and colorless gas is known as the silent killer because it’s essentially 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 rises during the winter months when people are trying to keep their homes heated. To help keep your family safe, Donelson Air Service Experts is here with a few tips to safety warm 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, at least three feet away from furnaces, space heaters, fire places, or stoves.
- Before igniting a fire in the fireplace, be sure to check to confirm the chimney damper is open and unblocked.
- Don’t leave portable heaters or fireplaces alone. Turn off space heaters and confirm all embers in the fireplace are fully 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 porcelain tile. Keep children and pets away from space heaters.
- When purchasing a new space heater, purchase a model that shuts off automatically if the heater tumbles over.
- Don’t use a stove to heat your home.
- Have wood and coal stoves, fireplaces, chimneys and gas or oil furnaces professionally examined and cleaned every year.
The best thing you can do for your furnace is to ensure it’s not only ready to keep your home warm all winter but also safe, is to set-up your heating tune-up. During your furnace tune-up, Donelson Air will check to make sure your heating equipment is operating safely with a total multi-point inspection and cleaning. Call 615-953-9885 today and find out how you can save on a heating tune-up through November 25th.