5 Ways to Babyproof Your HVAC Unit

Before you know it, your new baby will be crawling and then walking, so now’s the time to take safety measures all around your home to create a child-friendly environment. As part of your safety precautions, you should babyproof your HVAC and potentially harmful elements by taking the following steps:

Screw Down Metal HVAC Registers

Babies on the go often make a beeline to supply and return registers located near or at floor level. If your register covers are metal, they have multiple sharp edges that can easily cut delicate exploring fingers. If your little one manages to get the register cover up and off, serious bruises, bumps or eye injuries can occur. You can easily babyproof your HVAC vent covers by screwing them down in place.

Replace Metal With Plastic Register Covers

Another alternative to prevent cuts and other hazards related to metal registers is to replace them with plastic ones that have no sharp edges. These lightweight vent covers won’t need to be screwed down either, so you easily remove them to clean the accessible ductwork.

Toy-Proof Ductwork With Screening

If you’re worried about small toys getting dropped down into the ductwork, you can create toy traps by trimming vinyl window screen material to fit and attaching it on the bottom of each register.

Keep HVAC Remotes Out of Reach

Treat your mini-split and thermostat remotes like the remote controls for other devices: store them up high or out of reach of curious little hands and mouths. Young ones like to try out new tastes and textures by putting items in their mouths, and swallowing the battery from a remote control is particularly dangerous because it can result in internal burns.

Secure the Outdoor Unit

With its sharp metal condenser fins, spinning fan blades and live electrical wiring, your outdoor unit is a serious safety hazard for mobile little ones. To avert any potential for harm, babyproof the HVAC outdoor unit by fencing it in or installing a lockage cage.

For more suggestions on how to babyproof your HVAC system in your Coastal Bend home, contact us today at CCAC.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Corpus Christi, Texas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 361-678-2495.

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