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

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

Hands Off Your HVAC Vents and Registers

HVAC registers that fit over the air vents in your residence often prove to be irresistible areas for small children. Here are tips to keep them safe:

• Screw down registers: If your floor or wall registers fit loosely, fix them in place to make sure children can’t pry them loose.
• Install babyproof vent covers: These use a fine mesh to prevent small objects from falling inside without hindering airflow throughout your residence.

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 help keep curious toddlers from creating temperature control issues in your home:

• Move the thermostat out of reach: The thermostat should be installed at a height for adults. Avoid placing chairs near it that could invite kids to climb up for a closer look.
• Lock the controls: Some thermostats feature safety functions to prevent anyone from fiddling with the settings. If yours doesn’t have this feature, consider installing a thermostat cover that prevents curious kids from inadvertently changing the temperature.

Make Your Utility Room Safe

If your HVAC system is located in your home’s cellar 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:

• Add doorknob covers: If a home’s utility area is enclosed, you have an easy task. Simply put a childproof cover on the doorknob to stop your kids from opening the the door and accessing your HVAC system.
• Install a safety gate: If your HVAC is in an open area, put up a safety gate to stop intrepid crawlers from getting too close to your furnace or water heater.
• Check 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 within reach for kids to access. Consider placing combination CO/smoke detectors on the ceiling for maximum safety.

Follow These Tips to Prevent Burn Injuries

In many homes, the threat of burn injuries isn’t limited to the utility room. Here are tips on how to shield your child from the dangers of hot surfaces:

• Use heat guards: Place a simple baby gate or specially designed heat guard around radiators, baseboard heaters or fireplaces to create a barrier between infants and potentially dangerous hot surfaces.
• Don’t use space heaters: A properly adjusted and tuned heating system should comfortably heat every room in your home, and there should be no need to add a space heater to attract curious kids.

Childproof Your Home’s Electrical System

We all need electricity in our homes, but electricity also poses safety hazards for kids. Here’s how to childproof your home’s electrical system:

• Add outlet covers: Building code mandates that new receptacles be tamper resistant. If you have old outlets, you can update them by using outlet covers. Choose childproof covers instead of plug-in styles, because clever children can sometimes yank out the plug-in styles.
• Tape down cords: Exposed cords are a pulling risk. Use cord concealers or fasten them along the baseboards. Power strip covers are also important for preventing small children from reaching the sockets.
• Keep the electrical panel closed: If your electrical panel is somewhat low to the ground, make sure it’s properly closed and locked to stop inquisitive kids from accessing it.

Safeguard Your Plumbing

Babies love water play. That’s why it’s so vital to ensure they stay safe around home plumbing fixtures like basins, tubs and toilets. Try these childproofing tips for plumbing systems:

• Set the water temperature: Set your water heater to 120 degrees F to prevent scalding at the tap. However, be careful not to turn the temperature down any lower than that, because this could risk microbial growth in the tank.
• Install a faucet cover: Has your baby ever knocked his or her head on the bathtub faucet? Cushioned covers are a quick and easy way to prevent this sort of injury.
• Try using toilet locks: Babies are often intrigued by the toilet. A specialized lock stops little ones from playing in unsanitary water or tossing toys inside, which can lead to pipe clogs.

Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing: Your Trusted Partner for the U.S. HVAC, Plumbing and Electrical Services

With these childproofing tips, you can confidently create a protected environment in your home. At Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing, we’re proud to help parents protect their families with reliable 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 outstanding workmanship and customer service.