Families around the country are turning on the heat in their homes, sometimes for the first time in months.
While nothing feels better on a frosty night than the warmth emanating from a register or curling up in front of a roaring fireplace, it’s worth noting that heating malfunctions are the second leading cause of home fires.
Don’t become a statistic this heating season. Follow basic maintenance and common-sense tips to stay safe and warm.
Basics for home-heating safety:
- Have heating equipment and chimneys professionally cleaned and inspected yearly
- Keep space heaters at least 3 feet from anything that can burn
- Never use your oven to heat your home
- Use radiator covers to protect kids from burns
- Carbon monoxide can kill in three minutes
- Get a carbon monoxide detector and make sure to use fresh batteries
Space heaters: Give them room
Did you know space heaters are involved in one-third of home-heating fires? The National Fire Protection Association recommends keeping space heaters at least 3 feet from anything that can burn—in fact, it’s a good idea to have a 3-foot kid-free zone around space heaters and fireplaces.
More space-heater tips from the Federal Emergency Management Association
- Turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed
- Use portable heaters that have been approved by a recognized testing laboratory
- Always use the right kind of fuel, specified by the manufacturer, for fuel-burning space heaters
- Only refuel heaters outdoors
- Make sure the heater has an automatic shut-off in case it tips over
- Plug portable heaters directly into outlets
- Don’t use an extension cord or power strip for portable heaters
Because half of U.S. families use an alternative heating source from time to time, it’s good to brush up on fireplace safety. At a minimum, make sure you have a yearly chimney cleaning and a sturdy, protective screen.
More fireplace safety tips
- As with space heaters, keep anything that could catch fire at least 3 feet from the fireplace
- Put the fire out before you go to sleep or leave your home
- Fire ashes should always be cool before you put them into any kind of covered, metal container
- Never use plastic containers to dispose of fire ashes
- Keep fireplace ash containers a safe distance from your home
Ovens are for cooking
Never turn on the oven and open the door or light burners to heat the home. Not only is it ineffective, but it can lead to burns and poses a carbon monoxide risk.
A gas oven might go out or not burn well, leading to carbon monoxide poisoning. An electric oven is not designed for space heating.
Carbon monoxide is contained in fumes produced any time you burn fuel in cars, engines, grills, furnaces, or fireplaces. It can build up indoors, and it can poison and kill people and animals who breathe it.
Carbon monoxide poisoning can seem like the flu, and the symptoms include confusion and sleepiness. Carbon monoxide poisoning can make you pass out, and it can kill you. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that every year more than 400 Americans die, more than 20,000 visit the emergency room, and more than 4,000 are hospitalized from unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning not linked to fires.
Following these routine maintenance tips and common-sense safety practices can help you stay safe and warm as the temperatures drop and let you start dreaming of having to tune up your air conditioning for next summer.