Tips to Safely Heat Your Home This Winter

Every year over 20,000 people visit the emergency room due to carbon monoxide poisoning. This colorless, odorless gas is called the silent killer because it’s virtually undetectable without a carbon monoxide detector. 

Carbon monoxide, as confirmed by 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 keep their homes heated. To help keep you safe, Parker Pearce Service Experts is here with a few tips to safety heat your home. 

• Put in a CO detector on each floor of your home and change the batteries every year. 
• Keep all possible 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 ensure the chimney damper is open and unobstructed. 
• Do not leave portable heaters or fireplaces unattended. Turn off space heaters and make sure all embers in the fireplace are fully extinguished before leaving either heating source unattended. 
• Space heaters should always be situated on the floor, and on a hard, nonflammable 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 tips over. 
• Don’t use a cooking range to increase the temperature in your home. 

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

The ideal thing you can do for your furnace is to ensure it’s not only ready to keep you warm all winter but also safe, is to schedule your heating tune-up. During your fall tune-up, Parker Pearce Service Experts will check to ensure your furnace is operating safely with a full multi-point inspection and cleaning. Call 301-476-4577 today and ask how you can save on a fall tune-up through November 25th.