Home Safety: How to Childproof Your Home HVAC, Plumbing and Electrical Systems 

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

Make HVAC Vents and Registers Off Limits

HVAC grills that fit over the air vents in your home often prove to be irresistible exploration opportunities for small children. Here are tips to keep them safe:

• Secure registers: If your floor or wall registers fit loosely, secure them in place to make sure children can’t pry them loose.
• Install some vent covers: These use a small grid to keep small objects from falling inside without hindering airflow throughout your residence.

Block Access to the Thermostat

Kids are fascinated by buttons and screens, which makes the thermostat a potentially tempting plaything. Follow these tips to help keep small children from creating temperature control problems in your home:

• Install the thermostat out of reach: The thermostat should be installed at a level high enough where kids can’t easily reach it. Avoid placing chairs near it that could encourage kids to climb up for a closer look.
• Lock the controls: Some thermostats feature child-lock functions to keep anyone from messing around with the settings. If yours doesn’t have this feature, consider investing in a thermostat cover that stops curious kids from inadvertently changing the temperature.

Make Your Utility Room Safe

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

• Install doorknob covers: If your utility area is enclosed, you are in luck. Just put a childproof cover on the doorknob to prevent your kids from opening the the door and accessing your HVAC system.
• Install a safety gate: If your heating and cooling equipment is in an open area, set up a safety gate to block curious crawlers from getting too close to your furnace or water heater.
• Inspect your carbon monoxide detectors: Every residence should have at least one carbon monoxide detector on every level, especially if you have gas appliances. However, plug-in versions are simple for kids to access. Consider installing combination CO/smoke detectors on the ceiling for better safety.

Follow These Tips to Prevent Burn Injuries

In many homes, the threat of burn injuries isn’t confined to your home’s utility room. Here’s how to protect your child from the dangers of hot surfaces:

• Place heat guards: Use a baby gate or specially designed heat guard around radiators, baseboard heaters or fireplaces to build a barrier between infants and potentially dangerous hot surfaces.
• Stop using space heaters: A professionally adjusted and tuned heating system should keep you comfortable in every room, and there should be no reason for a space heater to attract curious kids.

Childproof Your Home’s Electrical System

We all need electricity for modern living, but it also poses safety hazards for kids. Here’s how to babyproof your home’s electrical system:

• Add outlet covers: Building code requires that new receptacles be tamper resistant. If you have older outlets, you can retrofit them with outlet covers. Choose locking covers instead of plug-in styles, because determined toddlers can sometimes take off the plug-in styles.
• Conceal cords: Exposed cords are a pulling risk. Use cord concealers or fasten them along the baseboards. Power strip covers are also helpful for preventing kids from reaching the sockets.
• Keep the electrical panel closed: If your electrical panel is somewhat low to the ground, make sure it’s firmly closed and locked to stop inquisitive kids from playing with it.

Make Sure Your Plumbing Is Safe

Babies love water play. That’s why it’s so crucial to take preventive measures to make sure they stay safe around home plumbing fixtures like sinks, tubs and toilets. Try these safety tips for plumbing systems:

• Control the water temperature: Set your water heater to 120 degrees F to prevent scalding at the tap. Just don’t turn the temperature down any colder than this, or you risk microbial growth in the tank.
• Use a faucet cover: Has your baby ever hit her or his head on the bathtub faucet? Cushioned covers are a very simple way to stop this kind of injury.
• Use toilet locks: Babies are often intrigued by the toilet. A special lock keeps little ones from getting covered in unsanitary water or tossing toys inside, which can lead to pipe clogs.

Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing: Your Trusted Partner for the U.S. HVAC, Plumbing and Electrical Services

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