Check Your Heating System Before Use

One recent frosty morning, Randy was standing on a grassy hilltop in the country, admiring the view of a small housing development. Smoke was drifting slowly up from the chimneys of some of the houses, and he found himself wondering ….

How many of those homeowners simply set the thermostat to heat, or built a big fire in the fireplace, without first making sure their equipment was ready for the heating season?

If you’re used to moving the switch automatically from AIR to HEAT, give it some thought.

All heating/cooling systems, wood stoves and fireplaces need to be serviced regularly - especially before they are needed for the change of season.

Safety is a big concern, but basic operating efficiency is another good reason to have the equipment checked out.

Use the season change as a reminder.

It’s hard for the average homeowner to anticipate heating-equipment problems, because most of them are hidden in chimneys, flues, or behind walls.

To find out what dangers might lurk in a system, we talked to Chief Dick Woodward of the Bel Air (Md.) Volunteer Fire Company, who had a number of suggestions for keeping equipment in order and working safely.

Heat pumps have a backup electric heating element that collects dust during the cooling season. “People turn them on and get a burning smell at 2 a.m., which can set off the smoke detector,” Woodward said.

He also has seen cases where people who bought a new house in the spring or summer turn on the heat in the fall and ignite building debris that fell down a duct during construction. It’s a good idea to have a new furnace checked out before you use it for the first time.

Gas logs, even the newer kind with statements disclaiming the need for ventilation, may emit high levels of carbon monoxide. In an older house that has plenty of air leaking in and out, that might not be a problem. But in new houses and well-insulated houses it can be deadly. Woodward said anyone who has a gas log needs to have a carbon monoxide detector - and probably some ventilation as well.

All flues need to be looked over carefully to ensure everything is firmly attached and working properly. If you’re not sure about anything you see, have a professional look at it.

Smoke detectors are essential. Woodward said he prefers the type that is wired into the house current, with a battery backup, because a lot of fires occur during thunderstorms or power outages, when people are using alternative sources of heat or light. If you have the battery-powered type, remember to change the batteries regularly.

People tend to use their ovens more in cool weather, and the ovens may need to be cleaned more often. Be sure your oven is ready before you put it into the self-cleaning cycle. When you turn the cycle on, it automatically locks the door and doesn’t unlock until the heat inside drops below a pre-set level.

If there’s a large grease spill in the bottom of the oven when you start to let it clean, it could catch fire.

Firefighters can’t unlock the door, Woodward said; they have to destroy the oven to put out what could have been a very simple fire problem.

Self-cleaning ovens are like some dishwashers that must have the dishes washed off before they’re put in.

You must wipe up the worst of the spills before turning the oven to self-clean.

Woodward said that anyone who owns heating equipment should know how to shut it off.

If only children are home, they should know how to turn off the furnace if they smell something that is not quite right.

All gasoline and gasoline-powered devices should be kept in a shed away from the house, never in an attached garage.

Make sure there’s nothing around the furnace or water heater that could catch fire.

Keep a 2-1/2-pound ABC-grade fire extinguisher in the kitchen and in the workshop. Don’t put the extinguisher so close to the stove you won’t be able to get to it in a fire.

Finally, Woodward said, make plans for getting out of the house in case of fire. Have a fire drill so kids know where to go and parents know where to find them. If you have a fire that a quick shot from a fire extinguisher doesn’t put out, leave the house - closing the door behind you - and call the fire department from a neighbor’s house.