Skip to main content

Heating Safety Tips

Stay safe this Winter!

As the temperature continues to drop, more and more of us will be forced to give in and fire up your heating source.  Whether it's oil heat, propane, natural gas, or one of the various alternative heating sources we have some tips on how to stay safe this winter.

Fire safety can be a big issue in the cold winter months. Following the tips below will help to reduce fire hazards as you start the heating season, along with stay safe in the deep winter of February.



1. Make sure that your heating system has been inspected and cleaned by a licensed professional.
2. When you start your heating system for the first time this season we recommend that you open up your windows for a little while. This will allow any smell from dirt and dust accumulated over the spring and summer to escape outside.
3. For those homes with chimneys, make sure that the flue is open and obstructions are removed.
4. Try to use electric heaters sparingly. Do not keep them on when you’re not home or when you go to sleep. Make sure that the heater is at least three feet away from clothing, bedding or other flammable objects.

5. Handle propane with care. Store tanks outside and call 911 if you smell a gas leak (The smell will be similar to rotten eggs).

by:

Robert Stahelski

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

La Nina Summer

We Could Experience much Warmer Temps this Summer Last year and even the year before that we talked about El Nino and boy did it come, we saw one of the mildest winters this past winter. Now what, El Nino is the warming of the waters in the pacific, but what happens after the water has warmed? After the warm has warmed, it naturally cools off this is called La Nina. Traditionally La Nina follows El Nino's and present the opposite effects of El Nino. Of course La Nina don't always follow El Nino's, in the past we've seen El Nino's that extend into the next winter or La Nina's that extend for several years. For this year most weather outlets are predicting that we'll see a La Nina arrive around Fall or Winter. To understand what we might see this summer we have to look at last year. For 2015 we didn't see the real El Nino until mid fall and it continued through mid winter, but its effects were seen during the summer.  It brought us unseas...

Thermostat Tips and Tricks

It's time to lock down the thermostat In many homes now that the temperature has started to dip the thermostat might have become a point of issue. One person in the home wants the house warmer while someone else wants it colder to save on money. The thing that everyone can agree on is that heating your home while no one is there is a waste of energy and money. Programmable and smart thermostat allow you to set an away temperature. With programmable thermostat you have to manually go in to set the time for each day it's suppose to go to "away". Smart thermostats like the Nest learning thermostat learn over time based on a week or so of manual temperature changes. Other smart thermostats including the Nest will go into "away" mode based on a cellphone gps location. The upside of these is never having to manually change the thermostat. In some cases the thermostat will start the heat the home before someone gets home so it'll warm and comfortable bef...

What does Home Comfort mean?

Home Comfort starts with the right equipment for your needs and your home. What does it mean to have home comfort, we'll be talking about how to achieve this through your heating and cooling equipment.  Home comfort from an energy standpoint should be viewed through this question, are you comfortable in your home all year around? If you're warm enough in the winter time but maybe paying more than you think you should you're not comfortable. Choosing to sweat in the summer instead off turning on the AC because of the electric bill is a perfect example of not having home comfort in more ways than one. So how can you be comfortable during the winter and summer without breaking the bank, first look at how old your equipment is. If your heating system is more than 20 years old you should consider a new boiler or furnace. Air conditioning systems that are 7 years or older should be replaced. Mini-split air conditioners are much more energy efficient than window units and o...