Heat Your Home Safely this Winter

We have several options when it comes to installing a heating system, wood, oil, propane, natural gas, and electric. These keep us warm all winter long, but we do have a responsibility to make sure these systems are heating your home safely. All of these various types of systems have safety precautions that are required for them to operate properly. When it comes to furnaces, heat pumps, and all the rest there are several safety rules that every homeowner must follow to keep their home safe. Read on for the most important safety rules to follow.

1. Install a carbon monoxide detector

Carbon monoxide is the most common issue that comes to mind when thinking about heating your home safely. When heating your home with any type of gas, your heating system produces carbon monoxide. This gas can be fatal if enough of it is present, you definitely don’t want this gas leaking into your home. It has no smell so it goes undetected without a carbon monoxide detector. Heating systems are designed so that the carbon monoxide is vented outside through an outdoor vent.  A carbon monoxide leak can happen when this vent is compromised, or when the heat exchanger cracks, or some other mechanical deficiency occurs which can lead to carbon monoxide escaping into the house and this can be a big problem. This is where a carbon monoxide detector can help save lives, by alerting home owners to traces of this dangerous gas.

2. Check/replace smoke detector batteries

A smoke detector is used to detect fires quickly, but it will only save lives if it is good working order and it needs batteries to operate correctly. Even if it is hard-wired into the electric system, backup batteries are necessary. You should replace the batteries in the smoke detector twice a year and do a test every month to make sure it is working. Also, if your smoke detector is more than 10 years old it is time to replace it. To make things even simpler, you can get a smoke detector and a carbon monoxide detector all in one unit.

3. Clear snow from vents

When making sure you are heating your home safely, it is also important to check around the outside of your home for any safety concerns. During the winter the exhaust vents can become blocked by ice or snow. The exhaust vent is where carbon monoxide leaves the house. If the exhaust vent is blocked then a build-up of carbon monoxide can happen and it will back up into the house. So, after a snowfall, or ice storm, and periodically throughout the winter, check that your vents are clear from any debris. This will keep the carbon monoxide venting outdoors.

4. Yearly Maintenance

Every year you are supposed to get a service done on your furnace, this is an important factor when looking to heat your home safely. The technician will take apart the system, clean the unit and have a look at the main components. This will tell them if there are any visible problems. They also check for gas leaks and if there is any carbon monoxide in the room or vents. This annual check-up can catch small issues before they become problems and keep your unit working properly and safely.

Just as with using any major appliance in your home, you have a responsibility to make sure it is working properly and safely. This list of safety rules to follow are a great start, but following manufacturer guidelines and specifications are most important. Be sure to read your owner’s manual when you get a new heating system, this is the first step in heating your home safely.