by Carrie Privette
Goodbye summer heat and welcome fall! Finally, your air conditioner can take a break (that's a big Texas-maybe), and the heater can work to keep your home cozy during the cooler months. Before you fire up that furnace, have you made sure your unit is ready to perform safely and efficiently? Nothing is more important than your family's well being, so we've put together a list of furnace/electric heater- related hazards that our technicians find most often during maintenance and service calls. With that, here is the first safety tip we'd like to share:
Tip #1 Clear the area: Consider telling Santa that the furnace closet is off limits for hiding presents!
Avoid a common cause of fatal winter house fires by keeping at least a three foot distance around your heat source and six inches surrounding vent pipes free of combustible materials. Store all flammable substances like gas, paint, etc. as far away from your heater as possible. It's a good idea to check periodically throughout the season to ensure the area stays that way, especially if you have some stuffers ... sorry, creative cleaners ... in your home.
