Child Safety Tips: Childproof Your Home HVAC, Plumbing and Electrical Systems 

As a parent, absolutely nothing is more critical than protecting your baby’s safety. As soon as your little ones start crawling, it seems like the house 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 take steps to make sure your home’s essential systems are adequately babyproofed—which gives you one less thing to worry about!

Block Access to Air Vents and Registers

HVAC covers 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:

• Secure registers: If your floor or wall registers fit loosely, fix 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 blocking airflow throughout your home.

Move the Thermostat Up High

Kids tend to zero right in on buttons and screens, which makes the thermostat a potentially tempting plaything. Follow these tips to help keep curious toddlers from creating temperature control problems in your home:

• Move the thermostat away from children: 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 child-lock functions to keep 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 cellar or utility closet, this is a critically 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 have it easy. Just put a childproof cover on the doorknob to keep your kids from opening the door to get inside.
• Install a safety gate: If your heating or air systems are in an open area, put up a safety gate to block adventurous crawlers from getting too close to your furnace or water heater.
• Test the carbon monoxide detectors: Every residence should have at least one carbon monoxide detector on every level, especially if you have gas appliances. But, plug-in versions are within reach for kids to access. Consider mounting 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 limited to the utility room. Here are other ways to keep your child from the dangers of hot surfaces:

• Place 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 correctly 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.

Tips for Babyproofing Your Home Electric System and Equipment

We all need electricity in our homes, but power also poses safety hazards for children. Here’s how to protect your home’s electrical system:

• Add outlet covers: Building code requires that new receptacles be tamper resistant. If you have older outlets, you can update them by using outlet covers. Choose locking covers instead of plug-in styles, because clever children can sometimes pull off the plug-in styles.
• Hide cords: Exposed cords are a pulling risk. Use cord concealers or secure them along the baseboards. Power strip covers are also useful for preventing kids from reaching the sockets.
• Keep the electrical panel secured: If your electrical panel is within reach, make sure it’s properly closed and locked to stop inquisitive kids from touching it.

Use Good Plumbing Safety Practices

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

• Set the water temperature: Turn your water heater to 120 degrees F to prevent children from being burned by hot water. However, be careful not to turn the temperature down any colder than that, because this could risk microbial growth in the tank.
• Use a faucet cover: Has your baby ever bumped their head on the bathtub faucet? Rubberized covers are an easy way to prevent this kind of injury.
• Use toilet locks: Babies are often very curious about the toilet. A special lock prevents little ones from accessing unsanitary water or tossing toys inside, which can lead to pipe clogs.

Call Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing for HVAC, Plumbing or Electrical Services in the U.S.

With these babyproofing tips, you can easily create a secure environment in your home. At Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing, we’re pleased to help parents protect their little ones 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 top-notch workmanship and customer service.