Make It Safe: Babyproofing Your Home HVAC, Plumbing and Electrical Systems 

As a parent, there is nothing more critical than ensuring your child’s safety. 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 especially concerning. With this guide from the Experts at Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing, you can make sure your home’s essential systems are properly babyproofed—which is one less thing to worry about!

Make HVAC Vents and Registers Off Limits

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

• Screw down registers: If your floor or wall registers fit loosely, fix them in place so you can be sure they aren’t going anywhere.
• Install childproof vent covers: These use a thin screen to prevent small objects from falling inside without restricting airflow throughout your residence.

Block Access to the Thermostat

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

• Place the thermostat away from children: The thermostat should be installed at a level high enough where kids can’t easily reach it. Avoid placing chairs near it that could encourage kids to climb up for a closer look.
• Lock down the controls: Some thermostats feature safety functions to prevent anyone from fiddling with 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 a very important place for babyproofing. These are no places for [babies|children|infants or toddlers|any child}, so use these tips to keep them safe:

• Install doorknob covers: If your utility area is enclosed, you are in luck. You can put a childproof cover on the doorknob to keep your kids from opening the door to get inside.
• Set up a safety gate: If your heating or air systems are in an open area, install a safety gate to block curious crawlers from getting too close to your furnace or water heater.
• Check the 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. Unfortunately, plug-in versions are easy for kids to access. Consider installing combination CO/smoke detectors on the ceiling for maximum safety.

Follow These Tips to Prevent Burn Injuries

In many homes, the threat of burn injuries isn’t confined to your home’s 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 radiators, baseboard heaters or fireplaces to create a barrier between infants and potentially dangerous hot surfaces.
• Avoid space heaters: A properly adjusted and maintained heating system should comfortably heat every room in your home, and there should be no reason for a space heater to endanger curious kids.

How to Childproof Your Electric System

We all need electricity to run today’s appliances, but power also poses safety hazards for children. Here’s how to babyproof your home’s electrical system:

• Use outlet covers: Building code mandates that new receptacles be tamper resistant. If you have older outlets, you can increase safety by adding outlet covers. Choose sliding covers instead of plug-in styles, because clever children can sometimes take off the plug-in styles.
• Hide cords: Exposed cords are a pulling risk. Use cord concealers or fasten them along the baseboards. Power strip covers are also effective for preventing kids 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 playing with it.

Safeguard Your Plumbing

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:

• 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 colder than this, or you risk microbial growth in the tank.
• Add a faucet cover: Has your baby ever knocked his or her head on the bathtub faucet? Cushioned covers are a very simple way to stop this kind of injury.
• Try using toilet locks: Babies are often intrigued by the toilet. A special lock prevents little ones from accessing unsanitary water or tossing toys inside, which can result in pipe clogs.

Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing: Your Trusted Partner for the U.S. HVAC, Plumbing and Electrical Services

With these childproofing tips, you can confidently 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 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 every family member we serve—even the little ones! Contact Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing at 866-397-3787 today for top-notch workmanship and customer service.