Don’t Let the Winter Chill Put a Chill on Safety: Tips for Heating Your Home Safely
smoke detector

As the winter season continues, it’s essential to ensure that your home is adequately heated to keep you and your family warm and comfortable. However, it’s also important to ensure that you heat your home safely to prevent fires and other accidents. Here are some tips on how to heat your home safely this winter:

  1. Keep heating equipment, such as furnaces, wood stoves, and space heaters, in good working order by having them inspected and cleaned annually by a professional. This will help to prevent any potential malfunctions that could lead to fires.
  2. Make sure you have working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in your home. These devices can alert you to any potential dangers, such as a fire or a carbon monoxide leak, so you can take action to evacuate your home if necessary.
  3. Keep flammable materials, such as curtains, bedding, and towels, at least three feet away from any heating devices to prevent them from catching fire.
  4. Do not use ovens or stovetops to heat your home. These appliances are not designed for this purpose and can be a fire hazard if used in this way.
  5. If you use a fireplace, ensure it is adequately ventilated to prevent carbon monoxide from accumulating in your home. Also, use a screen or glass door to prevent sparks from flying out of the fireplace and starting a fire.
  6. If you use a space heater, ensure it is Underwriter’s Laboratory (U.L.) approved and has an automatic shut-off feature in case it gets tipped over. Also, plug space heaters directly into outlets, not extension cords, as this can be a fire hazard.

Technicians working on home heating systems often encounter unsafe heating scenarios that could cause fires. Some common examples include blocked chimneys, malfunctioning furnaces, and improper use of space heaters.

The National Fire Protection Association estimates that heating equipment is the second leading cause of house fires in the United States, accounting for about 15% of all reported house fires. Unsafe heating devices, such as space heaters and wood stoves, are often the culprits in these fires.

In conclusion, ensuring that you heat your home safely this winter is essential for your and your family’s well-being. By scheduling regular maintenance and inspections of your heating equipment and properly using and placing your heating devices, you can help prevent fires and keep your home safe. Don’t wait; call us today at [csad_phone] to schedule your heating system tune-up.  Stay warm and safe this winter season because we love making you SMILE!