Fire safety during winter

10/28/2024 (Permalink)

Heat is a great thing during winter — except when it’s the result of a furnace fire. To protect your family from the risks of a fire, ensure that a smoke detector is present in the same room as your furnace and replace its batteries on a yearly basis. In the same vein, a malfunctioning furnace can release dangerous carbon monoxide into the air, so it’s crucial to have a fully-charged detector nearby. Carbon monoxide is an odorless gas, so never rely on your sense of smell to detect problems near the furnace.

When winter weather moves in snow piles up, this can cause your gas furnace to shut down. That’s because the snow can obstruct two of the most important components of your home comfort system — the exterior air intake and exhaust from a natural gas furnace. The only way to keep air flowing smoothly throughout your home is to complete a visual inspection of these areas after a significant snowfall to look for any blockages. Clearing out these areas when your furnace stalls will lead to less strain on the system and a longer service life.

It’s more cost-effective to take a proactive approach to furnace maintenance than a reactive one. When something goes wrong and a furnace breaks down, a repair or replacement isn’t a choice — it’s a costly necessity. What’s more, annual furnace maintenance ensures that your heating runs as efficiently as possible, saving you even more money in the long run. Nobody expects to have furnace issues, but without maintenance, the risks of experiencing problems are much higher. 

Even if you’ve never experienced gas furnace issues in the past, it only takes one to change the way you think about furnace safety. Don’t learn the hard way — understand that a gas furnace is a mechanical device that can break and cause real harm without the right precautions.