Home safety should always be a top priority, but it’s especially important during winter when we’re constantly using our heating systems and other fuel-burning appliances. We here at Jerry Kelly Heating & Air Conditioning want to help keep your home safe all season long, so today we’re providing you with five winter home safety tips that will keep you and your family protected!
5 winter home safety tips for St. Louis area homeowners
- Check your smoke alarms and CO detectors. Because your furnace is a fuel-burning appliance, certain problems with your system can lead to fire hazards or carbon monoxide leaks in your home. That’s why it’s important to ensure that all of your smoke alarms and CO detectors are working properly this winter. You can do this by pressing the “test” button on each of your units and checking that every alarm and detector has a fresh set of batteries.
- Consider installing a low-level CO detector. The standard CO detectors that are available at most stores only sound an alarm when carbon monoxide levels are dangerously high in your home. They do not alert you when your home has lower levels of carbon monoxide or while the gas is building up in your air. A low-level carbon monoxide detector is much more sensitive than a standard CO detector and will alert you when your home has much lower levels of carbon monoxide. This provides a much safer environment for any home, especially homes with infants, children, elderly people, and anyone who suffers from respiratory problems.
- Schedule annual maintenance for your furnace. One of the most important aspects of a furnace tune-up from Jerry Kelly Heating & Air Conditioning is that we check for any problems that could pose a safety threat to your home. If problems like frayed electrical wires or a cracked heat exchanger are left unattended, your home could be susceptible to a fire or a carbon monoxide leak. If you haven’t already scheduled annual maintenance for your furnace, do it soon so that you can keep your home protected!
- Keep a clean air filter. A dirty filter will force your furnace to work harder than usual and allow dirt to build upon your system. Both of these problems will increase the likelihood of your furnace developing safety issues. Take a look at your air filter every month this winter and swap it out with a fresh filter when it’s covered with dirt.
- Keep flammable objects away from your furnace. As a safety precaution, keep any flammable objects at least three feet away from your furnace. If those objects were to come into contact with your furnace’s open flames, they could spread a fire throughout your home.
If you have any questions about these winter home safety tips, or if you’d like a heating system serviced or installed in your home, contact Jerry Kelly, your St. Louis heating and cooling contractor. We service the St. Louis area, including towns like Ladue, Lake St. Louis, and Manchester.
