Home Heating Safety: Tips for Cold Weather
Winter has officially arrived in Fort Lauderdale, forcing you to run the heater at maximum power to keep your home comfortable. Are you certain your furnace, space heater, fireplace and other heating equipment is safe? While crucial for staying warm, heating equipment can pose a danger if not used and maintained properly. Explore some vital heating system safety recommendations to ensure a warm and worry-free winter.
Identifying the Risks
Because families rely heavily on heating systems when it’s cold, home fires and heating-related accidents are more common this time of year. Several frequent risks include:
Candles and holiday decorations: Winter festivities often include decorative lights and candles. While these items make the long winter nights more inviting, they can become safety risks if left unattended or placed near flammable materials.
Generators: Operating a generator during a power outage is a good backup plan. However, using them incorrectly can result in carbon monoxide poisoning, electrical shocks and fires. Ensure these appliances are set up outside and far from windows or doors.
Heating appliances: Space heaters, furnaces and fireplaces play a crucial role in causing home fires during the colder months. While engineered to run safely, these devices can become hazardous if they are outdated, malfunctioning or not operated safely.
Not enough ventilation: Improper ventilation can result in dangerous carbon monoxide buildup, especially from natural gas, propane or oil heaters.
Old wiring: Older homes with outdated electrical systems may struggle with the demands of modern heating appliances. When overloaded, the wiring may overheat, increasing the risk of electrical fires.
Incorrect use of heating equipment: Using equipment for unintended purposes, like firing up the oven to heat your home, or throwing wet socks over a space heater, can be hazardous.
General Safety Measures
Follow these safety tips in the winter and through the year to keep your home and family safe:
Gas leaks: If you smell an inexplicable rotten egg smell, it might be a gas leak. For your protection, act immediately—open windows and doors to ventilate the area, evacuate the area and contact your local gas company and fire department.
Combustible items: Always put anything that can burn at least 3 feet away from heating sources like furnaces, fireplaces and portable space heaters.
Children’s safety: Instruct your kids about the hazards of matches, candles and heating products. Next, establish a “kid-free zone” near open flames and heaters to avoid accidents.
Electric safety: Avoid plugging heating appliances into extension cords or power strips. In addition, plug only one high-power-draw device into an electrical outlet at a time. These guidelines help stop electrical overloads, which can cause overheating and fires.
Candle safety: Thoroughly watch lit candles and make sure they are extinguished before exiting the room or going to sleep.
Smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms: Keep these devices in your home, especially right next to sleeping areas and test them monthly.
Ways to Stay Safe with Heating Systems
Here are several heating system safety tricks to keep in mind this winter:
Professional installation: Because a faulty setup can increase the risk of fire, carbon monoxide poisoning and electrical shock, you should always leave furnace installation to a trained service pro. You’ll get peace of mind for years, knowing your equipment is working the way it should.
Regular maintenance: Yearly inspections of your heating equipment and chimneys by skilled professionals can expose hidden problems that might not be apparent to the untrained eye. These visits can identify worn-out parts, ventilation malfunctions and potential gas leaks. Regular maintenance also ensures optimum efficiency and lengthens your system’s life span.
Space heaters: You shouldn’t ever allow space heaters to operate unattended or while you’re sleeping. Place these units on a stable, non-flammable surface and keep anything that could catch fire away from the front, back and sides of the unit.
Fireplaces: Put a metal screen in front of the fireplace to prevent sparks from getting out and igniting nearby objects. Put out the flames before leaving home or nodding off to sleep. Once it has entirely cooled, gather the ashes in a metal container and store them outside a safe distance from your house.
Call Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning for Heating Service in Fort Lauderdale
As the cold weather gets worse, Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning is ready to preserve your comfort and safety. Our ACE-certified technicians provide fast, long-lasting answers for all your heating needs, with services backed by a 100% satisfaction guarantee. If you’re not satisfied with our performance, you can rely on us to make it right. Beyond our technical expertise, Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning is very involved in the local communities we serve and remain devoted to innovation and customer engagement. For help ensuring a worry-free winter, call 954-736-4314 today to set up an appointment with Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning.
