Five Heating Safety Tips for Winter
Each year, according to the U.S. Fire Administration, the month of January sees a spike in residential fires caused by heating equipment. After cooking, heating is the second greatest cause of house fires. We’ve put together this handy list of heating safety tips for the winter to keep families safe. Any homeowner can keep their family safe and warm throughout the heating season with a little planning and a few simple procedures.
Heating Safety Tips for Winter
- Keep combustible goods away from furnaces, fireplaces, wood stoves, and space heaters by at least three feet.
- Never heat your home with an oven or stovetop. Kitchen ovens were never intended to heat homes, only to cook food.
- Have your heating system inspected and cleaned by a skilled technician every year. Examine the area around your furnace or boiler for any signs of damage. Keeping combustible items and substances too close to the furnace causes many heating equipment fires. Garbage, paint, and other flammable objects should be kept away from your heating system.
- Never leave a space heater unattended or keep it running overnight while you sleep. Space heaters should be plugged into a wall. An extension cord or power strip should not be used since they can overheat and cause a fire.
- Once a month, test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Smoke alarms that are powered by your home’s electrical service may not work during a power outage during a winter storm. Install a new battery in your smoke alarm at least once a year if it uses a backup battery.
Schedule a service appointment if you’re utilizing space heaters to warm areas in your house. Uneven heating is one of the most prevalent problems we hear from homeowners, and our knowledgeable repair specialists are eager to figure out what’s causing it.
