Winter Season Home Heating Safety Information You Should Know

Written on: January 13, 2022

Stay Safe—and Comfortable—All Season Long with These Tips

No matter whether you’re prepping your home for the winter months in Portland, ME, or right here in the heart of Texas, home heating is essential to keeping you and your loved ones comfortable all season long. When heating your home, you will want to consider the potential risks that could damage your home—and learn what you can do to prevent them.

For that, we have some winter season home heating home safety tips you should know, as gathered, and originally presented, by our friends at Redfin.

Get a Combustion Test Done… Annually!

Homes that have gas-fired furnaces should have a combustion test performed once a year by a licensed professional. This test will ensure that carbon monoxide is not leaking into the air you breathe inside of your house. This is very important because carbon monoxide is odorless and can kill you in your sleep. Also, installing carbon monoxide detectors can also warn you if carbon monoxide levels are getting too high inside of your home. – Artisan Home Services

Make Sure You Have a Working HRV or ERV System

We recommend two main things when it comes to ventilation:

1. Make sure hazardous conditions do not exist within your ducts or ventilation. This includes blockages, moisture issues/leaks which can lead to mold growth, and vent/duct damage or leaks that can cause inefficiency in the system.
2. Currently, homes are now more efficient and are built “tighter” to preserve climate control. While this overall presents a positive effect, it can be bad for indoor air quality. It is important to make sure homeowners have a working HRV or ERV system to ensure fresh air is consistently rotating stale air out and fresh air into the home.

– Platinum Air Care

Keep Up with Regular Maintenance Protocols

Regular maintenance of heating equipment and carbon monoxide detectors is the key to safety.

One of the most important safety tips to remember is to have your furnace or boiler professionally serviced every year. An annual tune-up and inspection for your heating system will help technicians detect early signs of trouble that can lead to safety risks and other issues down the road. Experts estimate that up to 75 percent of no-heat calls in the winter are related to a lack of maintenance.

Improperly maintained, your furnace or boiler can suddenly stop working, leaving your family needing emergency service on the coldest day of the year.

Although heating oil poses a very low risk of carbon monoxide leaks, they are possible in an improperly maintained or malfunctioning heating system. Make sure to test all safety devices, including smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors.

An estimated 500 people die each year, and 15,000 people are taken to emergency rooms, due to carbon monoxide exposure. Carbon monoxide alarms protect your family from breathing in harmful fumes. Also, not maintaining your furnace causes it to run less efficiently, makes it work even harder, and therefore increases your monthly energy bills. – Levco

Be Mindful of Your Oven

Heat food—not your home—with your oven. Your oven is designed for cooking, not winter heating. Not only can your oven catch fire if not used properly or for an extended period, but it can also create dangerous and deadly carbon monoxide. – vipHomeLink  

Be Cautious When Using Propane

While propane has an outstanding safety record, there are some key propane safety best practices you need to follow when heating your home this season. Make sure you know the distinct smell of propane gas—it smells like rotten eggs—so you can better detect signs of a leak.

If you are utilizing a propane-powered space heater, never leave it unattended while it is in operation, and ensure there is a clearance of at least three feet around your heater to help prevent the risk of fires. Finally, it is essential that everyone in your household can identify and shut off the propane supply from the tank in case of an emergency. – Pico Propane and Fuels

Have questions about propane—or home heating—safety? Reach out to Pico Propane and Fuels today. We’ll be glad to help.