Tips to Safely Heat Your Home This Winter

Every year over 20,000 people go to the emergency room due to carbon monoxide poisoning. This colorless, odorless gas is called the silent killer because it’s essentially 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 winter months when people are trying to heat their homes. To help keep you safe, Wesley Wood Service Experts is here with a few tips to safety warm your home. 

• Place a CO detector on every floor of your home and replace the batteries yearly. 
• 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, always check to verify the chimney damper is open and unobstructed. 
• Never leave portable heaters or fireplaces unattended. Power off space heaters and make sure 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 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 oven to heat your home. 

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

The ultimate thing you can do for your furnace is to make sure it’s not only ready to keep you warm all winter but also safe, is to schedule your heating tune-up. During your furnace tune-up, Wesley Wood Service Experts will check to make sure your furnace is operating safely with a full multi-point inspection and cleaning. Call 484-401-7577 today and find out how you can save on a fall tune-up through November 25th.