Our furnaces do an excellent job of keeping our homes nice, warm and safe, when they’re running properly and we use them wisely. However, as with any sort of fuel-burning appliance, furnaces can experience problems that pose safety concerns in a dwelling if we don’t take the necessary precautions and keep up with seasonal maintenance.
To promote holiday safety and help you keep your home safe this winter, our we at Fairfield-Hamilton Heating & Cooling present the following list of 7 easy furnace safety tips:
Keep Your Southwest, Ohio, Area Home Safe This Winter!
Never Neglect HVAC Maintenance
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.
Remember Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Carbon monoxide is one of the most serious safety risks in a home; leaks are often caused by furnace malfunctions. As such, you need to check all of your carbon monoxide detectors heading into home heating season to guarantee they are functioning correctly. We urge homeowners to test all the carbon monoxide detectors in their home. If the batteries are old or you question their age, you should put new batteries in each unit.
Remember Your Smoke Alarms
If our furnaces are having problems, it can become a serious fire hazard. As such, while your checking your carbon monoxide detectors, this is also a good time to inspect your home’s smoke detectors. Likewise, homeowners should do this every year as well. Also similar to CO detectors, homeowners should also install new batteries if they don’t know how old their batteries are.
Maintain Open Area Around Furnace
Keeping the area around your furnace, or home heating system, open and free can reduce the likelihood of a house fire. We suggest leaving an open space of at least a few feet around it on all sides. This means you should avoid storing anything close to the furnace, like boxes, blankets and drapes. This is particularly important to remember when it comes to anything that might be flammable!
Frequently Check, Change Air Filter
Old air filters can hinder the vital free flow of air a furnace needs. When an air filter is clogged, it puts unnecessary strain on the HVAC system, causing it to have to work harder. Moreover, it makes the system more prone to a carbon monoxide leak while enabling dirt to build up on the furnace’s components. This can cause several additional efficiency concerns. As such, it is imperative you check and replace your filter every month during the winter.
Discuss Furnace Safety With Everyone in the Home
This is especially important for anyone who has a family, and younger ones, in the home. We recommend taking the time to gather everyone to sit down and discuss furnace safety guidelines. At the very least, if nothing else, we suggest posting a note on your refrigerator with safety rules. Establishing a set of safety rules for your furnace is a must. You can include many of the items on this safety list. As a rule, you should make sure children know not to play anywhere near the furnace, or any other heater or source of heat. Make sure everyone is on the same page and knows exactly what to do in the event of a fire, or any other emergency. It’s also important you know 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 Issues
Don’t take chances with any sort of fuel-burning appliance such as a furnace or heater or home heating system. It is wise to stay on the safe side and call our friendly professional team here at Fairfield-Hamilton Heating & Cooling if you are concerned there might be anything going awry with your home heating system. If you have any questions about these furnace safety tips, or if you’d like your furnace serviced, maintained or need a new heating system installed, call Fairfield-Hamilton Heating & Cooling today at 513-540-1716, or click here to schedule an appointment now!
