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 house feels like one big hazard! The HVAC, plumbing and electrical systems are especially concerning. With this guide from the Experts at Rob's Albertan Service Experts, you can ensure your home’s essential systems are thoroughly babyproofed—giving you one less thing to worry about!

Block Access to Air Vents and Registers

HVAC grills that fit over the air vents throughout your home often prove to be irresistible exploration opportunities 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 to make sure children can’t pry them loose.
• Install babyproof vent covers: These use a small grid to prevent small objects from falling inside without blocking airflow throughout your home.

Move the Thermostat Up High

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

• Move the thermostat out of reach: 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.
• Secure the controls: Some thermostats feature child-lock 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 inadvertently changing 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 critically important place for babyproofing. These are no places for [babies|children|infants or toddlers|any child}, so use these tips to keep them safe:

• Put on doorknob covers: If a home’s utility area is enclosed, you are in luck. Just put a childproof cover on the doorknob to prevent your kids from opening the the door and accessing your HVAC system.
• Use a safety gate: If your heating or air systems are in an open area, install a safety gate to block adventurous crawlers from getting too close to your furnace or water heater.
• Check the carbon monoxide detectors: Every home should have at least one carbon monoxide detector on each floor, especially if you have gas appliances. Unfortunately, plug-in versions are within reach for kids to reach. Consider placing 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’s how to protect 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 build a barrier between babies and potentially dangerous hot surfaces.
• Don’t use space heaters: A properly adjusted and serviced heating system should heat your entire 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 for modern living, but it also poses safety hazards for toddlers. Here’s how to secure your home’s electric system:

• Use 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 determined toddlers can sometimes yank out the plug-in styles.
• Conceal cords: Exposed cords are a tangling 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 secured: If your electrical panel is somewhat low to the ground, make sure it’s securely closed and locked to stop inquisitive kids from playing with it.

Safeguard Your Plumbing

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

• Control the water temperature: Turn 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 this, because this could risk microbial growth in the tank.
• Install a faucet cover: Has your baby ever bumped their head on the bathtub faucet? Rubberized covers are a very simple way to prevent this kind of injury.
• Install toilet locks: Babies are often intrigued by the toilet. A special lock stops little ones from playing in unsanitary water or tossing toys inside, which can result in pipe clogs.

Call Rob's Albertan Service Experts for HVAC, Plumbing or Electrical Services in Edmonton

With these home safety tips, you can easily create a safe environment in your home. At Rob's Albertan Service Experts, we’re honored to help parents protect their children with fast HVAC, plumbing and electrical services in Edmonton. We are dedicating to making a meaningful difference in the lives of every family member we serve—even the little ones! Contact Rob's Albertan Service Experts at 780-800-9047 today for top-notch workmanship and customer service.