Annually, over 20,000 people visit the emergency room because of carbon monoxide poisoning. The odorless, colorless gas is known as the silent killer because it’s virtually undetectable without a carbon monoxide detector.
Carbon monoxide, as confirmed by the CDC, is put off by stoves, gas ranges, boilers, furnaces, and fireplaces so it only makes sense that carbon monoxide poisoning climbs during the colder months when people are trying to warm their homes. To help keep your family safe, Rolf Griffin Service Experts is here with a couple tips to safety keep your home heated.
- Install a CO detector on all floors of your home and swap out the batteries every year.
- Keep all potential sources of combustion, such as bedding, paper, or clothing, a distance over three feet away from space heaters, stoves, furnaces or fireplaces.
- Before igniting a fire in the fireplace, make sure you check to verify the chimney damper is open and unclogged.
- Never leave portable heaters or fireplaces neglected. Power off space heaters and ensure 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, incombustible surface, like porcelain tile. Keep young ones and pets away from space heaters.
- When buying a new space heater, invest in a model that turns off automatically if the heater tips over.
- Do not use a cooking range to warm your home.
- Have wood and coal stoves, fireplaces, chimneys and gas or oil furnaces professionally inspected and cleaned annually.
The best thing you can do for your furnace is to be sure it’s not only up to the task of keeping you warm all winter but also safe, is to set-up your fall tune-up. During your heating tune-up, Rolf Griffin will check to be sure your heating system is operating safely with a full multi-point inspection and cleaning. Call 260-557-1275 today and ask how you can save on a fall tune-up through November 25th.