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

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

Hands Off Your HVAC Vents and Registers

HVAC covers that fit over the air vents in your residence often prove to be irresistible areas for small children. Here’s how to make sure they are safe:

• Screw down registers: If your floor or wall registers easily pop out, fix them in place so they won’t come off.
• Install some vent covers: These use a thin screen to stop small objects from falling inside without blocking airflow throughout your home.

Block Access to the Thermostat

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

• Move the thermostat up high: The thermostat should be installed at adult eye level. Avoid placing chairs near it that could encourage kids to climb up for a closer look.
• Lock down 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 prevents curious kids from inadvertently changing the temperature.

Make the Utility Closet Off Limits

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 try these tips to keep them safe:

• Put on doorknob covers: If a home’s utility area is enclosed, you are in luck. Simply put a childproof cover on the doorknob to prevent your kids from opening the door to the room.
• Install a safety gate: If your heating or air systems are in an open area, set up a safety gate to stop curious crawlers from getting too close to your furnace or water heater.
• Test your carbon monoxide detectors: Every house, mobile home or apartment should have at least one carbon monoxide detector on each floor, especially if you have gas appliances. But, plug-in versions are within reach for kids to access. Consider placing 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 limited to your home’s utility room. Here are tips on how to shield 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 form a barrier between babies and potentially dangerous hot surfaces.
• Avoid space heaters: A properly adjusted and tuned heating system should heat your entire home, and there should be no reason for a space heater to tempt curious kids.

Tips for Babyproofing Your Home Electric System and Equipment

We all need electricity for modern living, but it also poses safety hazards for toddlers. Here’s how to childproof your home’s electric equipment and wiring:

• Install outlet covers: Building code requires that new receptacles be tamper resistant. If you have old outlets, you can retrofit them with outlet covers. Choose childproof covers instead of plug-in styles, because determined toddlers can sometimes yank out the plug-in styles.
• Tape down cords: Exposed cords are a tangling risk. Use cord concealers or tape them down along the baseboards. Power strip covers are also helpful for preventing kids from reaching the sockets.
• Keep the electrical panel locked: If your electrical panel is within reach, make sure it’s securely closed and locked to stop inquisitive kids from playing with it.

Make Sure Your Plumbing Is Safe

Babies love playing in water. 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 babyproofing 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 lower than that, 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? Soft covers are an easy way to stop this sort of injury.
• Install toilet locks: Babies are often intrigued by the toilet. A special lock stops little ones from getting covered in unsanitary water or tossing toys inside, which can cause 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 honored to help parents protect their families with efficient 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 exceptional workmanship and customer service.