Even in the Arizona desert, there are plenty of chilly days and evenings that require you to turn on the heat. With the temperatures now dropping enough to make the switch over to heat, we wanted to provide you and your family some winter heating safety tips.
It’s a scary fact that heating equipment is the leading cause of home fires in the United States. Over 46% of all heating fires happen during December, January, and February. The following tips can help you and your family stay safe this season.
Keep Flammable Items Away from Heating Equipment
An important way to protect your family and pets is to maintain a safety perimeter around heating sources. Keep anything that can burn at least three feet away. Christmas trees, holiday decorations, clothing, toys, and home furnishings can be extremely flammable when they’re placed too close to heating equipment like furnaces, fireplaces, wood, or gas burning stoves, and portable space heaters.
Schedule Annual Maintenance and Inspections
Sometimes to save money or time homeowners skip annual heating equipment maintenance and fireplace inspections. It’s important to service your furnace and other HVAC equipment, such as heat pumps. You’ll also want to have an inspection done for your gas or wood fireplace to eliminate fire hazards from excessive dust, debris, natural gas jets, electrical wiring, and any component damage.
Install Carbon Monoxide (CO) Alarms
Avoid the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning by installing alarms that can alert you and family members that there’s a leak. Test these alarms monthly to ensure they’re working properly. Remember, if you smell gas in your home or hear hissing, leave your home immediately and call 911 and your gas provider.
Select a Sturdy Fireplace Screen
A fire can be a comfortable treat on a cold winter’s night. But it can also be a major hazard. Make sure that your fireplace has a sturdy screen that prevents sparks and embers from flying into the room if you’re using any type of wood or fire logs. Let fire ashes cool completely before putting them into any kind of container, and always keep ashes a safe distance away from your home.
Cool Blew Knows Heating Systems
At Cool Blew, we’re experienced heating repair professionals in the Valley of the Sun. Our technicians know the ins and outs of all types of indoor heating systems. For additional ways to stay comfortable and safe this winter, reach out to your experts at Cool Blew today by calling 623-872-2900. We’ll be happy to help you with all your home heating needs.
