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

As a parent, nothing is more essential than ensuring your child’s safety. When your little ones start crawling, it seems like the whole house is 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 ensure your home’s essential systems are properly babyproofed—which gives you one less thing to worry about!

Hands Off Your HVAC Vents and Registers

HVAC grills that fit over the air vents throughout your residence often prove to be irresistible targets for small children. Here are ways to keep them safe:

• Secure registers: If your floor or wall registers easily detach, screw them in place so they won’t come off.
• Install some vent covers: These use a small grid to stop small objects from falling inside without restricting airflow throughout your residence.

Move the Thermostat Up High

Kids are fascinated by buttons and screens, which makes the thermostat a potentially fun and exciting plaything. Follow these tips to help keep little family members from creating temperature control problems in your home:

• Place the thermostat up high: The thermostat should be installed at a level high enough where kids can’t easily reach it. Avoid placing furniture near it that could tempt kids to climb up for a closer look.
• Secure the controls: Some thermostats feature child-lock functions to prevent anyone from changing the settings. If yours doesn’t have this feature, consider adding a thermostat cover that keeps curious kids from inadvertently changing the temperature.

Block Access to HVAC and Mechanical Room Equipment

If your HVAC system is located in your home’s lower level 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 keep them safe:

• Add doorknob covers: If a home’s utility area is enclosed, you have it easy. You can put a childproof cover on the doorknob to stop 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 stop adventurous 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 each floor, especially if you have gas appliances. However, plug-in versions are within reach for kids to reach. Consider installing combination CO/smoke detectors on the ceiling for maximum safety.

Ways to Prevent Hot Surface Burns for Children

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

• Use heat guards: Place a simple baby gate or specially designed heat guard around radiators, baseboard heaters or fireplaces to form a barrier between babies and potentially dangerous hot surfaces.
• Stop using space heaters: A properly adjusted and tuned heating system should comfortably heat every room in your home, and there should be no need to add a space heater to tempt 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 electrical system:

• Use outlet covers: Building code mandates that new receptacles be tamper resistant. If you have old outlets, you can retrofit them with outlet covers. Choose locking covers instead of plug-in styles, because clever children can sometimes take off the plug-in styles.
• Cover cords: Exposed cords are a hazardous risk. Use cord concealers or fasten them along the baseboards. Power strip covers are also important 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 securely closed and locked to stop inquisitive kids from touching it.

Use Good Plumbing Safety Practices

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

• Adjust 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 cooler than this, because this could risk microbial growth in the tank.
• Add a faucet cover: Has your baby ever hit her or his head on the bathtub faucet? Cushioned covers are a very simple way to avoid this type of injury.
• Try using toilet locks: Babies are often very curious about the toilet. A specialized lock stops 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 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 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 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.