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

As a parent, there is nothing more essential than protecting your baby’s safety. When your little ones start crawling, it seems like the house feels 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 ensure your home’s essential systems are adequately babyproofed—which is 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 areas for small children. Here are tips to keep them safe:

• Screw down registers: If your floor or wall registers easily pop out, secure them in place to make sure children can’t pry them loose.
• Install some vent covers: These use a thin screen to prevent small objects from falling inside without restricting airflow throughout your home.

Block Access to the Thermostat

Kids are attracted to 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 objects near it that could encourage kids to climb up for a closer look.
• Lock the controls: Some thermostats feature child-lock functions to prevent anyone from messing around with the settings. If yours doesn’t have this feature, consider adding 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 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 try these tips to keep them safe:

• Put on doorknob covers: If your utility area is enclosed, you are in luck. You can put a childproof cover on the doorknob to stop your kids from opening the door to get inside.
• Install a safety gate: If your heating or air systems are in an open area, set up a safety gate to stop intrepid crawlers from getting too close to your furnace or water heater.
• Test 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 reach. Consider mounting 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 restricted to your home’s utility room. Here are other ways to keep your child from the dangers of hot surfaces:

• Place heat guards: Place a simple baby gate or specially designed heat guard around heat-producing appliances or equipment, baseboard heaters or fireplaces to build a barrier between babies and potentially dangerous hot surfaces.
• Avoid space heaters: A properly adjusted and maintained heating system should keep you comfortable in every room, and there should be no need to add a space heater to tempt curious kids.

How to Childproof Your Electric System

We all need electricity in our homes, but it also poses safety hazards for children. Here’s how to childproof your home’s electric equipment and wiring:

• Use outlet covers: Building code requires that new receptacles be tamper resistant. If you have old outlets, you can update them by using outlet covers. Choose childproof covers instead of plug-in styles, because clever children can sometimes remove the plug-in styles.
• Hide cords: Exposed cords are a chewing risk. Use cord concealers or secure them along the baseboards. Power strip covers are also helpful for preventing small children from reaching the sockets.
• Keep the electrical panel closed: 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 important 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 children from being burned by hot water. Just don’t turn the temperature down any cooler than that, because this could risk microbial growth in the tank.
• Install a faucet cover: Has your baby ever hit her or his head on the bathtub faucet? Cushioned covers are an easy way to stop this sort of injury.
• Install toilet locks: Babies are often very curious about the toilet. A specialized lock keeps little ones from accessing unsanitary water or tossing toys inside, which can result in pipe clogs.

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

With these home safety tips, you can confidently create a safe environment in your home. At Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing, we’re honored to help parents protect their families with reliable HVAC, plumbing and electrical services in the U.S.. We strive to make 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.