Our November Heating Safety Checklist
It’s the chilly season again, which means more homeowners are powering up their furnaces to provide comfortable temperatures on those cold nights. For many customers, it’s time to turn on the gas furnace and heat up some tea on the gas stove, both of which are normally safe appliances that can make your life a lot easier and cozier. But what if something were to go wrong? How often do things go wrong with gas-burning appliances?
The truth is that bad things can happen and they’re often out of our control. But where we can regain some control is through best practices, safety tips, and by having your home set up with carbon monoxide and smoke detectors. Instead of searching online for “smoke detector devices near me,” why not schedule an appointment with our team to have your home’s heating system maintained? We’ll take a look at your safety devices and ensure that your home is safe for the winter.
5 Things to Stay Safe
In order to have a proper safety checklist, we need to list out some of the major things that you as a homeowner can do. Keep in mind that any repairs or replacements that might need to be done to ensure your home stays safe should always be done by a pro. You can schedule those with our team today.
For everything else, keep reading to find out what you can do to help your heating system stay safe.
- Replace the Heating System’s Air Filter: The air filter is a component of your heating system that traps dirt, dust, debris, and other contaminants from the air that might gunk up the interior of your heater. Gas furnaces can become susceptible to contaminants and a clogged air filter will cause the system to potentially overheat. Change out the furnace’s air filter at the start of the heating season, and once every 1-3 months depending on how intensively the system is used.
- Examine the Port Exhaust of the Furnace: In order for a gas furnace to run safely, it needs to exhaust the fumes it creates like carbon monoxide and smoke. These fumes normally run outside through the port exhaust of the system. Take a walk around your home and check out the port exhaust. Is it clear? Or are there leaves, debris, and signs that a critter has nested in there? This requires immediate professional attention to avoid a safety hazard.
- Invest in Heater Maintenance: Furnace maintenance is the perfect way to have a professional check any safety protocols of your furnace before you rely on it for the winter. We also tune up the system to make sure it works efficiently.
- Call for Help if any Odors are Detected: Odors can usually be a sign that smoke or gas is leaking from your system somewhere. Get help ASAP if you detect any foul odors.
- Get your Detectors Replaced or Inspected: We rely on our smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to keep us safe in the event of an emergency. Perhaps it’s time to get yours replaced, repaired, or even maintained by a professional.
Fannon & Sons Heating Cooling can help you with smoke detector services. Contact us today. Welcome to the Family!
