Tips to Safely Heat Your Home This Winter

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

Carbon monoxide, according to the CDC, is given off by fireplaces, boilers, furnaces, stoves, and gas ranges so it only makes sense that carbon monoxide poisoning increases during the colder months when people are trying to keep their homes heated. To help keep you safe, Comfort Masters Service Experts is here with a couple tips to safety heat your home. 

• Install a CO detector on each floor of your home and swap out the batteries annually. 
• Keep all likely 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, be sure to check to confirm the chimney damper is open and unobstructed. 
• Never leave portable heaters or fireplaces unattended. Shut off space heaters and make sure all embers in the fireplace are completely extinguished before leaving the area. 
• Space heaters should always be placed on the floor, and on a hard, incombustible surface, like ceramic tile. Keep children and pets away from space heaters. 
• When buying a new space heater, purchase a model that powers off automatically if the heater falls over. 
• Do not use a stove to increase the temperature in your home. 

• Have wood and coal stoves, fireplaces, chimneys and gas or oil furnaces professionally inspected and cleaned every year. 

The best thing you can do for your furnace is to make sure it’s not only up to the task of keeping you warm all winter but also safe, is to schedule your heating tune-up. During your fall tune-up, Comfort Masters Service Experts will check to make sure your furnace is operating safely with a full multi-point inspection and cleaning. Call 847-250-6729 today and ask how you can save on a fall tune-up through November 25th.