It's the holiday season and it's the time of year where we are getting our wood stoves and fireplaces up and running. The cozy atmosphere of a crackling fire and enjoying a warm cup of hot chocolate or coffee and being wrapped in a warm blanket all scream winter and holidays.
Just like your family, your wood stove and fireplace need to be loved and cared for because while they heat your home so well and make it cozy, they can give off lots of indoor air pollutants and potentially cause other health problems.
Wood stoves and fireplaces are only turned on at the beginning of the winter seasons and because of that, they could have unknown maintenance problems that go unnoticed which is why you should have them checked out by a professional before turning it on.
The biggest thing to make sure is working every winter no matter what ways you heat your house, is to ensure that you have a properly working CO detector in your home at all times. It could save your life as CO is an odorless, colourless gas that interferes with our body's ability to use oxygen. When CO levels are too high in your home it can cause dizziness, headaches, unable to think clearly, and in severe cases, death. The signs are simple to look out for but if you don't have a CO detector, you might not know what's going on.
Your home needs to be prepped and taken care of over the winter so make sure everything is in working order, you never know when it could save your life.