You want your home and office to be comfortable year round, and this includes keeping it warm through the winter months. While you may not know much about your home’s heating system, there are some basic safety facts with which you should become familiar. If you’re having trouble keeping your home warm and comfortable, an experienced Big Bear, California, heating professional can help.
Using Your Gas or Electric Furnace Safely
If you have a well-functioning Gas furnace, you should be able to keep your home nice and comfortable with reliably consistent heat throughout. Further, if your furnace receives regularly scheduled maintenance with a skilled plumping professional, it should provide you with very safe heat. Nevertheless, gas furnaces combine both fuel and a flame which means that there is potential for safety hazards. Get to know the safety basics when it comes to your gas furnace:
- Schedule an appointment with an experienced Big Bear, California, heating specialist to ensure that your furnace is ventilated appropriately.
- While the heating professional is at your home or office, have him or her walk you through the process involved in changing your gas furnace’s air filter – and make sure you change yours regularly.
- Keep the area around your gas furnace clear and clean
- Install carbon monoxide detectors outside every bedroom in your home and interspersed throughout the rest of your home – test them annually to ensure they are working correctly.
If you have an electric furnace in your home or office, you can rest easy in the knowledge that these units are safe, efficient, and fairly low maintenance. While your electric furnace probably isn’t as efficient as a gas furnace, it poses virtually no risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. Your electric furnace requires basically the same upkeep and maintenance schedule required by a gas furnace (above) except you can forego the carbon monoxide detectors. If you have other appliances that are powered by gas, however, you should nevertheless equip your home with carbon monoxide detectors.
Using Space Heaters Safely
Space heaters are a great way to economically and conveniently keep your home extra toasty – especially if you and your family tend to hang out primarily in a central area. A space heater allows you to keep the rest of your home a bit cooler while you reduce your utility bills and stay cozy with your space heater. Space heaters, however, pose their own safety risks, and it’s important to recognize these risks and know the attendant safety basics:
- Space heaters are not intended to be used as a sole source of heat. Space heaters provide supplemental heat, and they should only be used as they are intended.
- Don’t use an extension cord with your space heater – plug it directly into the electric outlet.
- Firmly position your space heater on a flat, level area of your floor, and make sure that the space around it is clean and clear.
- Don’t use your space heater in a wet or damp area, including bathrooms.
- Periodically check your space heater for wear and tear, including a frayed cord, and discontinue use if there is any wear present.
Using Your Wood-Burning Stove and/or Fireplace Safely
Wood-burning stoves and fireplaces are very popular for obvious reasons – they provide warmth, comfort, and charm to your home. While a wood-burning stove or fireplace is a great asset to nearly any room, it’s important to recognize that there are also attendant dangers. Whether you supplement your heat with a wood-burning stove or fireplace or it’s your sole source of heat, it’s important to familiarize yourself with the pertinent safety issues:
- Use only dry, seasoned wood in your wood burning stove or fireplace (never burn garbage).
- Schedule regular chimney maintenance and cleaning.
- Be exceedingly careful when you have children in your home, and keep them away from your wood-burning stove, fireplace, or any other heat-producing appliances.
- Keep all flammable materials at least three feet from your stove or fireplace.
- Never leave your fireplace or wood-burning stove unattended when you have a fire going.
If You Have Concerns about Heating Your Home or Office, Consult with an Experienced Big Bear, California, Heating Specialist
Keeping your home and office toasty warm throughout the winter months is important, and the heating specialists at Bear Valley Plumbing & Heating are here to help. Whether your furnace needs maintenance or repairs, our dedicated heating professionals have the experience, skill, and knowledge to help ensure that your home remains comfortable and that your heating system is safe and efficient. And if it’s an emergency, we’re available 24/7. If you have heating concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact us or give us a call at 909-675-0983 today.
If you are looking for a Big Bear plumbing, heating & air conditioning contractor, please call (909) 584-4376 or complete our online request form.
Category: Heating
