How To Stay Warm While Staying Safe During The Winter

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When winter hits, all we really want is to get out of the cold, snowy air and snuggle up with a blanket and hot cocoa next to the fireplace. But did you know that heating equipment is one of the leading causes of fire deaths in America? Fireplaces, portable heaters, furnaces, and wood stoves, when not handled properly, can be dangerous. But there are things you can do to keep yourself, your family and your belongings safe.

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Keep A Safety Zone Around Heating Equipment

image of heating system installation Allentown PAThe first thing you need to do is ensure that there is nothing flammable within 3 feet of the heat source. It means keeping fabrics (cushions, sheets, and drapes), paper, wood, plastic, and other flammable items away from your heating equipment. You should also tell children not to get close to the heat source.

Never Use Your Oven To Heat Your Home

Using your kitchen oven to heat your home is dangerous, and very inefficient. The oven is not meant as space heating equipment. Also doing so carries the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning (if you are using a natural gas or propane stove). This can be deadly. Although the risk is lower with electric ovens, their efficiency is very poor, and it will cost you more in energy costs than if you bought a space heater and plugged it in.

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Practice Good Fireplace Safety

If you use a fireplace to heat your home, you need to ensure that it’s safe to use by

  • Have it professionally inspected every year;
  • Get your chimney cleaned when required. Professional inspectors recommend doing this once a year as well;
  • Putting a screen in front of the fire to keep sparks from flying onto the carpet or floor;
  • Disposing of ashes in a metal container with a lid, kept away from your home, garage, porch or shed.

 

Test Your Smoke Alarms Regularly

During the winter months, when risks of fire are greater because of the use of space heaters, stoves and other heating equipment, you need to test your smoke alarms at least once a month.

Although we all change the smoke alarm batteries once a year (you do change the batteries, right?), malfunctions may happen in between these checks. Therefore, a malfunctioning smoke alarm is a useless smoke alarm.

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Use High-Quality Fuel

When using oil, propane or other heating fuel, you need to make sure that you use high-quality fuel. Use a reputable professional fuel delivery service. Additionally, when you’re installing new heating equipment or even maintaining your heater that uses these types of fuel, make sure that you know exactly which fuel to buy for your system.

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By following these tips, you will be able to stay nice and warm while keeping your family out of harm’s way. Additionally, be sure to schedule professional heater maintenance on your system so that it performs well. This also helps you avoid dangerous carbon monoxide leaks inside of your home. As mentioned earlier, carbon monoxide is undetectable and it can cause extreme health issues and even fatalities.

For a reputable, trustworthy, and professional HVAC company, contact R.F. Ohl. We offer heating system tune-ups, heater installations, heating oil delivery, and propane delivery. Be sure to call R.F. Ohl for all of your home heating and comfort needs.

We service Alburtis PA 18011, Allentown PA 18101, Breinigsville PA 18031, East Texas PA 18046, Emmaus PA 18049, Fogelsville PA 18051, Macungie PA 18062, Maxatawny PA 19538, Old Zionsville PA 18068, Orefield PA 18069, Trexlertown PA 18087, Whitehall PA 18052, and surrounding areas.

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R.F. Ohl is an authorized contractor for Bryant heating and cooling equipment. This means that R.F. Ohl has been recognized by Bryant as having the training, experience, and professionalism to hold such a designation. Not many contractors have what it takes to become an authorized dealer. When you hire R.F. Ohl, you will receive the best in the heating and cooling industry. Bryant systems have been recognized as being some of the most reliable, durable, and energy-efficient heaters and air conditioners. To learn more about our Bryant product line, click here.

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Contact us today or give us a call at (610) 377-1098 if you have any questions.