Tips to Safely Heat Your Home This Winter

Every year over 20,000 people go to the ER because of carbon monoxide poisoning. This odorless and colorless 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 produced by stoves, gas ranges, boilers, furnaces, and fireplaces so it only makes sense that carbon monoxide poisoning increases during the heating months when people are trying to warm their homes. To help keep you safe, Becht/Givens Service Experts is here with a few tips to safety heat your home.

• Place a CO detector on all floors of your home and swap out the batteries every year.

• Keep all likely sources of combustion, such as paper, clothing, bedding, or rugs, a minimum of three feet away from furnaces, space heaters, fire places, or stoves.

• Before lighting a fire in the fireplace, make sure you check to verify the chimney damper is open and unblocked.

• Do not leave portable heaters or fireplaces unattended. Shut off space heaters and ensure 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 porcelain tile. Keep children and animals away from space heaters.

• When purchasing a new space heater, buy a model that powers off automatically if the heater tumbles over.

• Do not use a oven to warm your home.

• Have fireplaces, chimneys, gas or oil furnaces, and coal and wood stoves professionally checked and cleaned annually.

The best thing you can do for your heating system is to ensure it’s not only ready to keep your home warm all winter but also safe, is to schedule your heating tune-up. During your furnace tune-up, Becht/Givens will check to make sure your heating equipment is operating safely with a total multi-point inspection and cleaning. Call 502-785-8230 today and ask how you can save on a furnace tune-up through November 25th.