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(NAPSA)—Just like your car,your home heating system re-quires routine maintenance inorder to run properly. Withoutregular servicing, heating systemscan waste energy and are morelikely to break down. But with theproper attention, your system willkeep you warm all winter long.

According to the experts atLuxaire, a brand of heating, ven-tilating and air-conditioning(HVAC) equipment manufacturedby Johnson Controls, there are afew basic tips you and your localHVAC contractor can follow toensure your heating system oper-ates properly.

A Few Basics• Inspect Your System—A close

inspection will uncover leaks,soot, rust, rot, corroded electricalcontacts and frayed wires. In fur-nace (forced-air) and boiler (hot-water) systems, the inspectionshould also cover the chimney,ductwork or pipes, dampers orvalves, blower or pump, registersor radiators, the fuel line and thegas meter or oil tank, as well asevery part of the furnace or boiler.

• Run Your System—Yourheating system should be runthrough a full heating cycle toensure it has plenty of combustionair and chimney draft. Contrac-tors use smoke pencils to check forsufficient draft and also test theair for carbon monoxide.

• Clean the Burner and HeatExchanger in Furnaces—Scourthe burner and heat exchanger toremove soot and other gunk thatcan impede smooth operation. Forthe burner, efficiency hinges onadjusting the flame to the rightsize and color, regulating the flowof gas or changing the fuel filter inan oil-fired system.

• Check all the Components ofa Heat Pump—Inspect the com-pressor, fan, indoor and outdoorcoils and refrigerant lines. Indoorand outdoor coils should becleaned, and the refrigerant pres-sure should be checked. Low pres-sure indicates a leak; to locate it,contractors feed tinted refrigerantinto the loop and go over it withan electronic detector.

Annual MaintenanceLuxaire recommends contact-

ing a qualified contractor to per-form some of these maintenanceactivities as part of an annual ser-vice call. Heat pumps and oil-firedfurnaces and boilers require ayearly tune-up. Since gas-firedequipment burns cleaner, itshould be serviced every otheryear.

To learn more about heatingsystems and routine maintenance,visit www.luxaire.com.

Does Your HVAC Need A Little TLC?

Don’t give the cold shoulder toyour heating system. It should beserviced regularly.

(NAPSA)—As new parents pre-pare for the arrival of their baby,they’ll likely make safety a toppriority. They put poisons out ofreach, cover up unused electricaloutlets and install safety gates.But experts say parents may missthe deadliest threat in the homefor small children.

A new survey conducted byKelton Research revealed thatonly 11 percent of parents sur-veyed believe a home fire is morelikely than their baby accidentallyfalling or being poisoned. Whilefalls occur more often, fires aremore deadly. Fires and burns arethe leading cause of unintentionalhome-injury deaths for childrenover age 1 and the second-leadingcause for infants, according to theHome Safety Council’s State ofHome Safety in America.

“New parents undoubtedlyhave safety on their minds,” saidMeri-K Appy, president of HomeSafety Council. “However, themisplaced safety concerns re-vealed in this survey show agreater need for educating newand expectant parents about therisk their baby could face regard-ing fires and burns.”

According to the National FireProtection Association (NFPA), chil-dren under age 5 face nearly twicethe risk of dying in a home fire thanadults. While the NFPA reportsthat adults are more likely todevelop a fire escape plan after theyhave children, 78 percent of the Kel-ton survey respondents have neverconducted a home fire drill.

“In addition to working smokealarms, families need to take allnecessary precautions to help pro-tect themselves and their childrenin the event of a house fire. This

includes having fire extinguisherswithin reach and regularly practic-ing a fire escape plan,” said ChrisRovenstine, vice president forKidde Residential & Commercial.

Steps to Take BeforeBringing Baby Home

Parents can easily incorporatefire safety into overall childproof-ing plans:

• Install UL-listed smoke andcarbon monoxide (CO) alarmsnear sleeping areas and on everyfloor of your home. For optimalprotection, install both photoelec-tric and ionization smoke alarms,which may provide the earliestopportunity of detecting eithersmoldering or fast-flaming fires.

• A combination alarm offersprotection against both fire andcarbon monoxide (CO) in one unit.Look for one with voice warning,such as the Kidde Talking Alarm,which will clearly announce thehazard present, fire or CO.

• Test alarms per manufactur-ers’ instructions and replace bat-teries as needed.

• Replace smoke alarms every10 years and CO alarms everyseven. Alarms monitor the homeevery minute and do not last for-ever. If you do not know the age ofyour alarm, replace it.

• Do not “borrow” an alarm’sbatteries for other uses such as intoys or radios.

• Keep a UL-listed fire extin-guisher (minimum 2A-10B:C),such as the Kidde Living AreaFire Extinguisher, on each floorand in your bedroom. A fire extin-guisher can help put out a small,contained fire or aid in creating apathway to safety.

Steps to Take as a Family• Develop and regularly prac-

tice a fire escape plan.• Include two exits from every

room and also details such as whowill assist young ones out of thehome. An escape ladder can be analternate exit from second- or third-floor rooms.

• Practice your plan at leasttwice a year, both during the dayand at night.

• Close your children’s bed-room doors. If a hallway fireoccurs, a closed door could hindersmoke from overpowering yourchild and give firefighters extratime for rescue. Keep a workingsmoke alarm and baby monitor inthe room so you can hear if thealarm sounds.

• Teach toddlers not to hide.Remind them that firefighters arethere to help.

For more information on babysafety and to download a freechildproofing checklist, visitwww.safehomesafebaby.com.

Having smoke alarms and fireextinguishers on hand is animportant part of babyproofing.

Cause For Alarm: What Parents Miss When Childproofing

(NAPSA)—If you want to helpyour family be a picture of health,try adding colorful tomatoes toeveryday dishes.

Red, vibrant tomatoes are adelicious way to boost your vita-min C, vitamin A, iron and beta-carotene—an antioxidant said tocontribute to lowering the riskof cancer. Plus, tomatoes grownin Mexico are available duringthe colder months, meaningyour family can enjoy themyear-round.

So how can you add more toma-toes to your diet? Pasta sauce is agreat place to start. Try thisrecipe from “The Great TomatoBook” by Gary Ibsen and JoanNielsen.

Quick Cherry TomatoPasta Sauce

Serves 4

Cook about half of a pound(dry weight) of your favoritepasta and have it ready to go in awarmed pasta bowl before youmake the sauce. This dish comestogether quickly, with a fresh,picked-from-the-garden flavorand an amazing show of red, yel-low and green colors.

2 tablespoons extra virginolive oil

2 tablespoons unsaltedbutter

1 large clove garlic, finelychopped

1/2 pound red and yellowcherry tomatoes, rinsedand dried

1 bunch green onions (about5 or 6), coarsely chopped,white and green partsincluded

3 tablespoons coarselychopped mixed freshherbs, such as basil,parsley and chivesSalt and freshly groundblack pepper, to taste Freshly grated Parmesanor Romano cheese

Heat the olive oil and butter ina large sauté pan over a mediumheat. Add the garlic and sauté 2 to3 minutes. Add the red and yellowcherry tomatoes and sauté 2 to 3minutes. Add the green onions,herbs and salt and pepper. Con-stantly shaking the pan to mixeverything together, sauté themixture until about half of thetomatoes are beginning to burst, 5to 7 minutes more. Remove fromthe heat immediately and toss thetomato sauce with the pasta. Topwith freshly grated cheese.

For more information, tips andideas, visit the Web sitewww.freshfrommexico.com.

Cherry Tomato Pasta Sauce

See Red—Colorful tomatoespack a nutritional punch.

(NAPSA)—For many students,field trips offer an exciting hands-on learning experience. As part ofa new sweepstakes, three luckyfamilies will each win the ultimateexcursion just for the family—anexciting and educational weekendgetaway where they can learntogether and plan their own fun.

Winners of the Farm Rich Fam-ily Fun Trek Sweepstakes willchoose their destinations fromamong several exciting and educa-tional alternatives, including trippackages to Washington, D.C.,Chicago or Orlando. Additionalsweepstakes prizes include 50 giftcards from American Express val-ued at $100 each, for winners touse as part of a fun family outingtogether.

Of course, while on such a ter-rific trek, it’s important to eatright. Farm Rich offers a great-tasting, wholesome product lineupthat includes the top-selling brandof breaded cheese sticks, alongwith the popular French ToastSticks and the newest additions tothe product line: Mini StuffedPizza Slices and Mozzarella Bites.A good source of protein and cal-cium, these treats are deliciousand convenient microwavablesnacks or appetizers.

Contest entries must be post-marked by October 31, 2007. Toenter, mail your printed name,address and phone number toFarm Rich Family Fun TrekSweepstakes, P.O. Box 176,Carnegie, PA 15106. Or visitwww.farmrichfun.com to enteronline, join the Farm Rich FunClub, download coupons and see anextensive selection of fun-to-makeand fun-to-eat family recipes for

snacks and appetizers, such as thistasty creation:

Pepperoni Cheese SauceStart to finish: 13 minutes

Serves: 4

1 package Farm RichCheese Sticks or FarmRich Mozzarella Bites

1⁄4 cup marinara sauce (orone marinara cup from theFarm Rich Cheese Stickspackage)

1⁄4 cup mozzarella cheese,shredded

1⁄4 cup pepperoni, diced2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan

cheese1⁄4 cup black olives, chopped1⁄4 cup milk1 tsp. Italian seasoning

1. Prepare Cheese Sticksaccording to package direc-tions. Set aside.

2. Mix all remaining ingre-dients in a bowl.

3. Microwave on High for 2minutes, then remove and stir.

4. Microwave on High foran additional 30 seconds.

5. Serve with Cheese Sticks.

Exploring America With Tasty Snacks On Board

This delicious snack can bemade in the microwave and takenon the road.

(NAPSA)—Former tennis playerAndrea Jaeger created the LittleStar Foundation, a nonprofit orga-nization, which provides long-termcare and lifetime opportunities forchildren with cancer. Jaeger’s effortswere honored by beauty companyClarins this year when she receivedtheir 2007 “Most Dynamic WomanAward.”

** ** **Since September 1, automotive

consumers have had anothervaluable tool to help them makeinformed choices regarding thesafety of the vehicles they’re con-sidering buying. It’s part of a fed-eral law known as “Stars OnCars.” More than a year ahead ofthe government’s September 1deadline, Ford Motor Companyhas been posting the govern-ment’s safety ratings on many ofits vehicles.

** ** **Skype is a low-cost way to

make unlimited voice and videocalls over the Internet and is get-ting high marks from parents,particularly those with college-age children. To learn more, visitskype.com.