Child Safety Tips: Childproof Your Home HVAC, Plumbing and Electrical Systems 

As a parent, there is nothing more critical than ensuring your child’s safety. Once your little ones start crawling, it seems like the house is one big hazard! The HVAC, plumbing and electrical systems are very concerning. With this guide from the Experts at Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing, you can take steps to make sure your home’s essential systems are adequately babyproofed—giving you one less thing to worry about!

Hands Off Your HVAC Vents and Registers

HVAC covers that fit over the air vents throughout your home often prove to be irresistible areas for small children. Here are tips to make sure they are safe:

• Fasten registers: If your floor or wall registers easily detach, screw them in place so you can be sure they aren’t going anywhere.
• Install some vent covers: These use a thin screen to keep small objects from falling inside without restricting airflow throughout your home.

No Touching the Thermostat

Kids are attracted to buttons and screens, which makes the thermostat a potentially fun and exciting plaything. Follow these tips to prevent curious toddlers from creating temperature control issues in your home:

• Move the thermostat up high: The thermostat should be installed at a height for adults. Avoid placing furniture near it that could tempt kids to climb up for a closer look.
• Lock down the controls: Some thermostats feature safety functions to stop anyone from messing around with the settings. If yours doesn’t have this feature, consider adding a thermostat cover that keeps curious kids from adjusting the temperature.

Make Your Utility Room Safe

If your HVAC system is located in your home’s cellar or utility closet, this is an extremely important place for babyproofing. These are no places for [babies|children|infants or toddlers|any child}, so follow these tips to keep them safe:

• Install doorknob covers: If your utility area is enclosed, you are in luck. Simply put a childproof cover on the doorknob to keep your kids from opening the door to get inside.
• Use a safety gate: If your heating and cooling equipment is in an open area, set up a safety gate to block intrepid crawlers from getting too close to your furnace or water heater.
• Check your carbon monoxide detectors: Every house, mobile home or apartment should have at least one carbon monoxide detector on every level, especially if you have gas appliances. But, plug-in versions are simple for kids to reach. Consider mounting combination CO/smoke detectors on the ceiling for better safety.

Protect Your Baby from Burns

In many homes, the threat of burn injuries isn’t restricted to your home’s utility room. Here are other ways to shield your child from the dangers of hot surfaces:

• Install heat guards: Use a baby gate or specially designed heat guard around heat-producing appliances or equipment, baseboard heaters or fireplaces to form a barrier between young children and potentially dangerous hot surfaces.
• Don’t use space heaters: A correctly adjusted and serviced heating system should comfortably heat every room in your home, and there should be no reason for a space heater to attract curious kids.

Childproof Your Home’s Electrical System

We all need electricity to run today’s appliances, but it also poses safety hazards for children. Here’s how to childproof your home’s electric equipment and wiring:

• Add outlet covers: Building code requires that new receptacles be tamper resistant. If you have older outlets, you can update them by using outlet covers. Choose sliding covers instead of plug-in styles, because determined toddlers can sometimes remove the plug-in styles.
• Hide cords: Exposed cords are a chewing risk. Use cord concealers or tape them down along the baseboards. Power strip covers are also effective for preventing little fingers from reaching the sockets.
• Keep the electrical panel locked: If your electrical panel is somewhat low to the ground, make sure it’s adequately closed and locked to stop inquisitive kids from accessing it.

Increase Plumbing Safety

Babies love water play. That’s why it’s so vital to ensure they stay safe around home plumbing fixtures like basins, tubs and toilets. Try these childproofing tips for plumbing systems:

• Control the water temperature: Set your water heater to 120 degrees F to prevent scalding at the tap. However, be careful not to turn the temperature down any colder than that, because this could risk microbial growth in the tank.
• Install a faucet cover: Has your baby ever bumped their head on the bathtub faucet? Soft covers are a very simple way to stop this sort of injury.
• Use toilet locks: Babies are often fascinated by the toilet. A special lock prevents little ones from accessing unsanitary water or tossing toys inside, which can result in pipe clogs.

Count on Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing for Reliable HVAC, Plumbing and Electric Service in the U.S.

With these home safety tips, you can confidently create a safe environment in your home. At Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing, we’re honored to help parents protect their little ones with reliable HVAC, plumbing and electrical services in the U.S.. We are proud to follow our motto of making a meaningful difference in the lives of all our customers—even the little ones! Contact Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing at 866-397-3787 today for outstanding workmanship and customer service.