Fireplace and Furnace Safety Tips

As the cold sets in, the heating equipment likely turns on for the first time since last season which is why you need this fireplace and furnace safety tips. 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, here are safety tips:

• 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.

Tips 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 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 and give you fireplace and furnace safety tips.