Your vents might be on the side walls or even on the floor. Those are known as registers or grilles, depending on your installation. Airflow to and from your HVAC unit is controlled by these registers and grilles.
Your child might secretly have a crush on those floor air vents and look to go near them every now and then. Believe me, that’s totally normal, but worrying at the same time, in terms of your child and house’s safety. The question is what can you do to make your floor air vents child proof.
When you have a little child, you must childproof almost every inch of your house. It is super important to ensure the safety of your child. Floor air vents are a sensitive opening of your HVAC unit and must be out of reach of the children.
We wanted to clear out some facts regarding air vents before providing you tips on child proofing the floor air vents. Here is all that you need to know:
Can you cover the floor air vents completely:
The answer to this question is a simple NO!
You should never completely cover your floor air vents. If you block them, your HVAC system will continue to pump air through those vents, which will risk creating a buildup of air pressure and inadequate airflow, and might harm your system.
The most obvious and potentially deadly consequence of a clogged vent is that it will create a fire. You put your furnace at risk of catching fire when you make it work harder than it has to.
How can you make your floor air vents childproof:
Now you are aware of the hazards of completely covering up the air vents, but you are also worried about your child’s safety.
Luckily we have gathered some ways of childproofing the air vents and making them safer for your little ones without having to cover them completely and keeping the air flowing.
Here is how you can easily do so and make your child’s playing time worry-free.
1. Protect floor registers:
First and foremost, the most important thing is to safeguard your floor registers. We’re sure any of you who have registers that aren’t drilled or fastened down may relate.
To keep the floor vents in place, tighten them or screw them right into the floor. If you have wooden registers, drill a hole or nail them in place using a hammer. If you choose to use metal registers, make sure you get ones with screw-in vents.
Alternatively, you can also perpetually safeguard your vents. Instead of screws or nails, you use double-sided tape or Velcro to secure the floor registers. It should not be necessary to dig a hole in the floor.
2. Use non-metallic registers:
If your child had cut their finger or you are worried that they might in future, you can opt for plastic registers.
Plastic registers are easy to find and are less dangerous for crawling children. You can find one at the nearest hardware store or check online for the suitable size.
3. Close off the vent:
Children love throwing toys and other stuff into the vents. But, there is a technique to block it off and prevent anything from falling into your vent while still allowing air to circulate. To keep anything thrown inside your floor vent contained, use some window screen material and tape it down. Closing the vent with a dryer sheet or cheesecloth is also an option. This will make collecting toys from the vent much easier for you, and hopefully make it less tempting for your child.
4. Cover up the air vent (not completely):
Tell them that you are the boss by outdoing them and covering up the air vent with furniture. Try to cover the air vent in a way that the air flow isn’t blocked. The core purpose should only be to limit access of your child to the vent.
Moving furniture may be inconvenient, but it is a free and easy method to childproof your floor vents until your kid loses interest and moves on to something else to do.
Are decorative plastic floor vents safe?:
Plastic Floor Registers are the ideal option for high-moisture regions of your house where a metal register can’t manage to prevent from rusting. They are also perfect if you have a child that loves crawling and playing with everything that comes in their way.
Your child is more likely to harm their hands or body with metal registers while playing than the plastic ones. Despite the fact that they are safer for children, they also come in various colors and designs making them a decorative piece of furniture.
These plastic registers include a damper that allows you to adjust the airflow to your desired level of comfort. Because they are intended for the floor, stepping on or walking over them is perfectly fine and will cause no damage to the vents.
Taking points: Child proofing your floor air vents
The key to any of these mentioned options is to keep your child safe from hurting themselves with the floor air vents while playing around. It is also important that you maintain access to your vents whenever needed and keep the air in your home circulating at the same time. Keeping your child and their toys out of the floor vents will help you prevent problems with airflow from the floor air vent.
Thanks for reading this article on how to make your floor air vents child proof. We love getting in touch with you, so make sure to comment your valuable feedback and opinions on the topic.
You can also share your own experiences with the floor air vents and how you made them safer for your kids.
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