Throughout the most extreme Ohio weather, our furnaces do a wonderful job of keeping our homes nice, warm and safe — provided they’re properly cared for and used safely.
Nevertheless, like any kind appliance that uses fuel or energy to produce heat, furnaces can experience problems, problems that can pose safety threats within a dwelling, especially if the appropriate precautions aren’t followed.
In order to promote safety this winter and encourage furnace care, we at Five Star Heating & Cooling Group present the following list of 7 easy furnace safety tips to keep your home safe this winter!
HVAC Maintenance is a Must
One of the most important benefits of a furnace tune-up is the way our certified technicians inspect a home heating system to make sure it’s running safely and efficiently. During a furnace maintenance visit, they thoroughly search for any problems, especially for cracks in the heat exchanger or any damaged wires or anything else that would pose any sort of safety issue. Having this done, you can enjoy the peace-of-mind in knowing your home heating system will run safely this winter.
Check All Smoke Alarms
When home heating systems have problems, it can become a serious fire hazard. Because furnace fires are one of the leading causes of home fires, it’s essential homeowners check and test all their home’s smoke detectors heading into the heating season each and every year. If your smoke detector’s batteries are getting old or aren’t working, install new batteries. Even if you question their age, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Don’t Forget Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Carbon monoxide is another serious safety risk associated with heating equipment. Often, carbon monoxide leaks are caused by furnace malfunctions. Because of this, you should check all of your carbon monoxide detectors heading into home heating season to ensure they’re fully functional without any problems. As heating and cooling experts, we urge all homeowners to test all the carbon monoxide detectors in their home. If the batteries are old or you question their age, similarly, you should purchase new batteries and replace them throughout the home.
Keep The Area Around Furnace Open
Keeping the area surrounding your heating equipment open and free will reduce the chances of a house fire. We suggest leaving an open space of at least a few feet around all heating equipment on all sides. This means you should avoid storing anything too close to the furnace, like boxes, blankets and drapes. This is particularly important to remember when it comes to anything that might be flammable! If you have children in the home, it’s best to ensure the furnace room remains a kid free zone. In any case, children should never be allowed to play around heating equipment.
Frequently Replace Air Filters
Dirty or old air filters can hinder the free flow of air that’s essential to any home heating system. When an air filter becomes dirty or clogged, it places an unnecessary strain on the HVAC system, causing stress, causing it to have to work harder than it should. Furthermore, it makes the system more prone to carbon monoxide leakage while enabling dirt to build up on the furnace’s various components. This can cause several additional efficiency concerns. In any case, it is imperative homeowners check and replace their heating equipment’s air filter every month during the winter. Often, it needs to be replaced as often.
Make Everyone Aware of Furnace Safety Rules
If you have family members and especially younger ones in the home, this tip is especially important. We suggest getting everyone together to discuss all your home’s furnace safety guidelines. At the very least, if nothing else, putting up an emergency plan with the furnace safety rules on your refrigerator is better than nothing. Establishing a set of safety rules for your home heating equipment is being proactive and playing it wise. You can include the items on this safety list as well. And as we mentioned above, you should make sure children know not to play anywhere near the heating equipment, or any other heater or source of heat for that matter. You can also make sure everyone is on the same page and everyone is aware of exactly what to do in the event of a fire, or any other similar emergency. Finally, make sure everyone knows where the gas shutoff valve is located if you have a gas furnace, in case of a gas leak.
Call Us If You Have Any Concerns!
Because of the grave implications, it’s always best to play it safe when it comes to home heating equipment. Never take any sort of chances with any sort of fuel-burning appliance such as a furnace or any kind of heating equipment. Because of this, it is wise to stay on the safe side and call our friendly professional team here at Five Star Heating & Cooling Group if you are concerned there might be anything going wrong with your home heating system.
To learn more or to book an appointment with an expert technician from Five Star Heating & Cooling Group call (614) 490-7550 today, or schedule an appointment online now!
As always, we look forward to hearing from you!
