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

As a parent, there is nothing more critical than keeping your baby safe. As soon as your little ones start crawling, it seems like the whole house feels like 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 ensure your home’s essential systems are properly babyproofed—which gives you one less thing to worry about!

Block Access to Air Vents and Registers

HVAC registers that fit over the air vents throughout 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, fix them in place to make sure children can’t pry them loose.
• Install babyproof vent covers: These use a thin screen to keep small objects from falling inside without restricting airflow throughout your home.

Move the Thermostat Up High

Kids are fascinated by buttons and screens, which makes the thermostat a potentially inviting plaything. Follow these tips to stop curious toddlers from creating temperature control problems in your home:

• Place the thermostat out of reach: The thermostat should be installed at adult eye level. Avoid placing chairs near it that could tempt kids to climb up for a closer look.
• Lock down the controls: Some thermostats feature locking functions to prevent anyone from changing the settings. If yours doesn’t have this feature, consider installing a thermostat cover that stops curious kids from adjusting the temperature.

Make the Utility Closet Off Limits

If your HVAC system is located in your home’s basement 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 ensure they are safe:

• Add doorknob covers: If your utility area is enclosed, you have it easy. Just put a childproof cover on the doorknob to keep your kids from opening the door to the room.
• Add a safety gate: If your heating and cooling equipment is in an open area, set up a safety gate to block adventurous crawlers from getting too close to your furnace or water heater.
• Check 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 easy for kids to access. Consider installing combination CO/smoke detectors on the ceiling for maximum safety.

Protect Your Baby from Burns

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

• Use heat guards: Put a baby gate or specially designed heat guard around heat-producing appliances or equipment, baseboard heaters or fireplaces to create a barrier between young children and potentially dangerous hot surfaces.
• Don’t use space heaters: A professionally adjusted and serviced heating system should keep you comfortable in every room, and there should be no reason for a space heater to endanger curious kids.

Childproof Your Home’s Electrical System

We all need electricity to run today’s appliances, but electricity also poses safety hazards for little ones. Here’s how to childproof your home’s electrical setup:

• Use outlet covers: Building code requires that new receptacles be tamper resistant. If you have older outlets, you can increase safety by adding outlet covers. Choose locking covers instead of plug-in styles, because determined toddlers can sometimes yank out 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 closed: If your electrical panel is somewhat low to the ground, make sure it’s properly closed and locked to stop inquisitive kids from tampering with it.

Increase Plumbing Safety

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

• Adjust the water temperature: Set your water heater to 120 degrees F to prevent scalding injuries. However, be careful not to turn the temperature down any cooler than this, or you risk microbial growth in the tank.
• Add a faucet cover: Has your baby ever hit her or his head on the bathtub faucet? Soft covers are a very simple way to prevent this kind of injury.
• Install toilet locks: Babies are often very curious about the toilet. A specialized lock stops little ones from accessing unsanitary water or tossing toys inside, which can cause pipe clogs.

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

With these babyproofing tips, you can easily create a protected environment in your home. At Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing, we’re proud to help parents protect their families with quick 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.