Tips to Safely Heat Your Home This Winter

Annually, over 20,000 people visit the emergency room due to carbon monoxide poisoning. This colorless, odorless gas is known as the silent killer because it’s virtually undetectable without a carbon monoxide detector. 

Carbon monoxide, as specified by the CDC, is given off by stoves, gas ranges, boilers, furnaces, and fireplaces so it only makes sense that carbon monoxide poisoning increases during the winter months when people are trying to keep their homes heated. To help keep you safe, Golden Seal Service Experts is here with a few tips to safety warm your home. 

• Place a CO detector on every floor of your home and replace the batteries yearly. 
• Keep all possible sources of combustion, such as paper, clothing, bedding, or rugs, at least three feet away from space heaters, stoves, furnaces or fireplaces. 

• Before starting a fire in the fireplace, always check to verify the chimney damper is open and unobstructed. 
• Never leave portable heaters or fireplaces unattended. Power off space heaters and make sure all embers in the fireplace are completely extinguished before leaving either heating source unattended. 
• Space heaters should always be positioned on the floor, and on a hard, fire-resistant surface, like ceramic tile. Keep children and pets away from space heaters. 
• When buying a new space heater, invest in a model that shuts off automatically if the heater tumbles over. 
• Never use a cooking range to heat your home. 

• Have all stoves, fireplaces, chimneys, and all types of furnaces professionally checked and cleaned every year. 

The ideal thing you can do for your heating equipment is to make sure it’s not only ready to keep you warm all winter but also safe, is to call for your heating tune-up. During your furnace tune-up, Golden Seal Service Experts will check to make sure your heating equipment is operating safely with a full multi-point inspection and cleaning. Call 630-246-2698 today and find out how you can save on a heating tune-up through November 25th.