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

• Install a CO detector on every floor of your home and replace the batteries annually. 
• Keep all potential 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, make sure you check to ensure the chimney damper is open and unobstructed. 
• Never leave portable heaters or fireplaces unattended. Turn off space heaters and make sure all embers in the fireplace are fully extinguished before leaving the area. 
• Space heaters should always be placed 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 fireplaces, chimneys, gas or oil furnaces, and coal and wood stoves professionally inspected and cleaned annually. 

The best thing you can do for your heating system is to make sure it’s not only all set to keep your home warm all winter but also safe, is to schedule your heating tune-up. During your furnace tune-up, Strogen's Service Experts will check to make sure your heating system is operating safely with a full multi-point inspection and cleaning. Call 603-923-4570 today and learn how you can save on a heating tune-up through November 25th.