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 called the silent killer because it’s essentially undetectable without a carbon monoxide detector.

Carbon monoxide, according to the CDC, is put off by gas ranges, furnaces, fireplaces, stoves, and boilers 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 your home safe, Stark Services is here with a few tips to safety keep your home heated.

• Put in a CO detector on each floor of your home and change the batteries yearly.

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

• Before lighting a fire in the fireplace, be sure to check to confirm the chimney damper is open and unblocked.

• Never leave portable heaters or fireplaces alone. Turn off space heaters and ensure all embers in the fireplace are completely extinguished before leaving either heating source unattended.

• Space heaters should always be situated on the floor, and on a hard, fire-resistant surface, like concrete or tile. Keep kids and pets away from space heaters.

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

• Never use a oven to warm your home.

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

The best thing you can do for your heating system is to ensure it’s not only up to the task of keeping you warm all winter but also safe, is to set-up your fall tune-up. During your fall tune-up, Stark Services will check to make sure your heating equipment is operating safely with a complete multi-point inspection and cleaning. Call 817-668-6689 today and ask how you can save on a fall tune-up through November 25th.