Avoiding Fire Damage with Heater Safety Habits and Professional Furnace Inspection

The winter months are here and home fires caused by furnace units are on the rise.  Google news lists a new furnace fire headline every few hours.  Not only homes are being damaged but also apartment homes leaving families in a tough spot during the holiday months.

Here are some tips for keeping your family safe this winter.

It’ best to keep things that can catch fire clear of your furnace, fireplace or portable heater.  Avoid storing things like broken down boxes in your furnace closet or near any heating source.  Always consider the risk when it comes to your heating unit.

When buying a new heating equipment or furnace be sure to have a qualified professional install it for you.  Contractors are trained to install your heating equipment per city local code and the system manufacture’s guidelines.  Anything worth doing, is worth doing right, especially with something as involved as heating and cooling installation.

If you use a portable heater make sure to turn it off when leaving a room or going to bed.  Space heaters can be dangerous under certain conditions.  I’ve seen outlets catch fire from too much current pulled by space heaters.  You don’t want this happening, especially while you’re asleep.

Always make sure your furnace equipment is well vented to the outside of your home so you or your family won’t fall victim to carbon monoxide poisoning.  Carbon monoxide is a silent killer and its well worth the money to invest in (CO) carbon monoxide alarms to be installed in and throughout your home.

Did you know there have been some cases where people attempt re-lighting their furnace after smelling a strong odor of natural gas throughout their home?  Please don’t do this.  Get your family outside to safety, leave the door open on your way out and, once outside, call a gas service person.  If there is a safe way to turn off all controls, do so.  It’ not uncommon for people who smell a strong odor of natural gas to end up with 3^rd degree burns after making the wrong decisions.  Don’t let this happen to you or your loved ones.

Also, while on the subject of house fires, always be sure to have working smoke detectors in and throughout the home.  Also design and practice your escape plan with your family.  Should a fire ever happen, every second counts.

About Our Guest Writer

Thanks to our Guest Writer: This post is courtesy of Cool Breeze Air Solutions LLC. Our sincere gratitude goes out to them. Please contact Mr. HVAC if you would like to be a guest writer.

Cool Breeze Air Solutions LLC, Tucson heating and cooling service, provides affordable heating and furnace maintenance plans to keep your system running safe and efficiently.