Tips to Safely Heat Your Home This Winter

Each year over 20,000 people end up in the hospital 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 given off by stoves, gas ranges, boilers, furnaces, and fireplaces so it only makes sense that carbon monoxide poisoning rises during the colder months when people are trying to keep their homes heated. To help keep you safe, Midway Services is here with a couple tips to safety keep your home heated.

• Place a CO detector on all floors of your home and change the batteries yearly.

• Keep all likely sources of combustion, such as bedding, paper, or clothing, at least three feet away from space heaters, stoves, furnaces or fireplaces.

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

• Do not leave portable heaters or fireplaces alone. Shut off space heaters and make sure all embers in the fireplace are completely extinguished before leaving the area.

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

• When investing in a new space heater, buy a model that turns off automatically if the heater tumbles over.

• Do not use a oven to increase the temperature in your home.

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

The ultimate thing you can do for your heating system is to make sure it’s not only up to the task of keeping your family warm all winter but also safe, is to call for your fall tune-up. During your fall tune-up, Midway Services will check to ensure your furnace is operating safely with a total multi-point inspection and cleaning. Call 727-219-2471 today and ask how you can save on a furnace tune-up through November 25th.