Fireplace and Furnace Safety Tips

Fireplace and Furnace Safety Tips

As the cold sets in, the heating equipment likely turns on for the first time since last season. It’s a cozy time of year, snuggling up with a warm blanket by the fireplace while sipping hot cocoa. However heating equipment such as fireplaces and furnaces pose a danger if certain precautions are taken and if they are not properly cared for.  Heating equipment is a leading cause of home fire deaths, according to the National Fire Protection Association.

 

Tips on how to stay warm and stay safe in your home:

  • It’s best to keep flammable items at least 3 feet away from heating equipment.
  • Have a 3 foot kid-free and pet-free zone.
  • Replace the batteries in and test your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
  • Keep operational fire extinguishers on hand.
  • Have your heating equipment inspected by a professional each year.
  • Turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or home.
  • Do not use your oven to heat your home.

If you have a furnace:

  • Check your furnace filter every 30 days and wait no longer than 90 days to clean or replace it.
  • Clean around your furnace.
  • Your furnace flame should be blue. If it’s not, schedule an inspection.
  • If there is soot around your furnace, it could indicate it’s faulty or not ventilated well enough.
  • Make sure you know how to turn off the gas at the main valve, near your gas meter.

If you have a fireplace or wood stove:

  • Have your fireplace and chimney inspected and cleaned each year.
  • Make sure your fireplace damper is open when in use.
  • Make sure your fireplace has a glass or metal screen to stop ashes and sparks from going into the room.
  • Make sure fireplace remotes or switches are out of reach of children.
  • Clean ashes after every burn.
  • Let ashes cool entirely before putting them in a metal container with a lid. Do not keep the container in the house.
  • Put the fire out before you go to sleep.
  • Do not burn paper in your fireplace or wood stove.
  • Keep the doors of your wood stove closed, unless you’re loading it or stoking the fire.

If you experience a fire or smoke damage from a heating equipment malfunction to your home or business, give us a call. It’s our job to help get you back on your feet.