Back Print Page Email Page

To improve indoor air quality during the winter months and to prevent a build-up of carbon monoxide gas in homes, homeowners should be aware of these important healthy home and safety tips:

1. Have your furnace professionally tuned up annually by a qualified heating technician to ensure safe, efficient operation.  Prevention is the most important step to carbon monoxide safety.
   
2. If you have a door from your house into an attached garage, consider weather-stripping the door to prevent carbon monoxide from entering the home.
   
3. Service your humidifier at the beginning of the heating season.  Clean it thoroughly, replace the humidifier pad or water panel, open the water valve and open the bypass damper to allow air to pass through the humidifier.
   
4. Check your air filter or air cleaner monthly for maximum air cleaning efficiency. Wash or replace it as required.
   
5. Inspect your chimney annually for evidence of corrosion and possible blockage. Check the cleanout for debris and mortar. Using a mirror make sure that you have an unobstructed view to the outside.
   
6. Check that dampers in open fireplaces are closed when the fireplace is not being used.
   
7. Install one or more carbon monoxide detectors to be located first in the sleeping area and then on every other level of your home.  This is now a legal requirement in many municipalities.