Your Home Heating and Fire Safety Tips
Knowing the do’s and don’ts of your home heating system is more important than you may think.
The leading cause of fires in the home is the improper use of heating equipment. These fires often happen during the winter season as this is when you’ll be using your home heating system most frequently. This winter season, DeMark Home Ontario not only wants to keep you warm, but also safe from fire hazards in your home. The following is a list of ten tips that can help keep your home free from the risk of fires this winter season and all others that follow.
Tips for your furnace:
- Have your furnace checked and tuned up on a regular basis to keep it working as efficiently and safely as possible. Many problems which homeowners experience regarding their furnace system is due to a lack of maintenance.
- If there are any odd smells in the air of your home such as the smell of burning plastic, you should shut off your furnace immediately. Odd smells in the air of your home could indicate that there is a problem with your home heating system. If you believe that there is a problem with your home’s furnace then you should contact us as soon as possible and we can have the problem solved in no time.
- There should be at least three feet of open space around your furnace at all times. You should also be especially cautious with storing flammable materials or objects anywhere near your furnace. Your furnace obviously heats up when it’s operating and the objects around it may also heat up and even set on fire.
- Install carbon monoxide and smoke detectors in your home. To be sure that these pieces of equipment are working correctly they should be tested on a monthly basis.
- Don’t forget to change your furnace’s air filter. How often you should change your filter depends on the filter itself. It may need to be changed every month, bi-monthly, quarterly, etc. If you are unsure of how often your air filter needs to be changed, feel free to contact our furnace technicians for assistance.
Tips for other sources of heat:
- Kerosene and propane heaters should never be used inside the home. These types of heaters can give off carbon monoxide and are extremely dangerous for indoor use.
- Have your fireplace or woodstove chimney professionally cleaned as often as necessary. How often you should have your fireplace or woodstove chimney cleaned depends on the type of fuel being used.
- Always use the correct fuel type for your wood burning stove or fireplace. Never burn wood in your gas fueled fireplace. You should also never throw any sort of trash into your fireplace or stove.
- Before cleaning out ashes from your wood burning stove or fireplace, ensure that the fire is entirely out. You should never put the hot ashes in containers made from wood or plastic, using a metal container is the safest way to clean out the ashes. You should keep the hot ashes in the metal container for at least a full day before pouring them out.
- Your oven and stove should NEVER be used to heat your home. Even when there is a problem with your home’s furnace, you should never resort to using your oven and stove as a heater. Using these appliances as a heater can be very dangerous and should be avoided at all costs.
If you are interested in more fire safety tips regarding your home’s furnace system, are in need of a furnace inspection, furnace replacement, or have any other HVAC needs, DeMark Home Ontario will be glad to assist you and provide you with only the best solution to your problems. You can leave a quote online or call us at (647) 847-2998 and one of our friendly associates will be happy to help you.
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