With cold weather and snow storms coming our way this winter, being trapped inside doesn’t sound all that bad. But before you fire up the furnace, make sure your furnace is in the right condition to keep your house warm and your family safe. Any parent knows when you’re snowed-in, your kids are bound to get curious and adventure around your home. Here are a few tips to make sure the whole family is safe this winter:
- Keep Your Furnace Clean AND Clear
Over time the area around and inside your furnace can get very dirty. Lint and dust build-up can become extremely flammable. This winter make sure you vacuum, as well as clean in and around your furnace to prevent any fire hazards. Many families use their furnace room for storage or laundry. If you are one of these families, keep the area around your furnace as clean and organized as possible. Please make sure these items are nowhere near your furnace: gasoline, paint, wood scraps, old rags, papers, and sawdust.
- Test Smoke Alarms and Carbon Monoxide
As mentioned above, the fire hazards a furnace poses in your home is serious. So, this winter check your home’s smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detector and put in a fresh pair of batteries.
- Change Your Air Filter
Damaged, unchanged or dirty air filters can cause performance and safety problems for your furnace. Restricting airflow to your furnace can cause breakdowns, dirt build-up and increase a carbon monoxide leak. So, every couple of months check your air filter to avoid performance and safety issues.
- Teach Your Kids
One of the best ways to keep your children safe this winter is to set boundaries with your children and keep the furnace room off limits. Being trapped indoors can cause children to wander and try and find their own fun inside. Also remind them the furnace room, is off limits, especially in hide and seek.
