One of the most common causes of house fires in the United States of America comes from heating equipment. More specifically, portable electric space heaters that aren’t used properly. Even though they can be an excellent source of supplemental heat during cold weather, they can still run the risk of posing fire and shock hazards.
This makes it extremely important to know and follow safety tips when it comes to using space heaters. While they’re a great option to keep the kitchen floor toasty, or to heat a space that has a hard-to-find draft, anything to do with electricity and heat can be dangerous!
Here are three important safety tips to follow when it comes to using space heaters in your home.
Keep An Eye on It
This safety tip is probably pretty obvious to you, but during the hustle and bustle of the day, you have a lot on your mind! Between work, carpool, sports practice for the kiddos, and oodles of homework, the last think you’re thinking of is “did I turn off the space heater?”. Leaving a space heater unattended while it’s running is never recommended. Whenever you leave the room that a space heater occupies, or if you’re planning on leaving the house, be sure to turn it off and unplug it completely to ensure complete safety. Additionally, do not allow either children or pets to play close to a space heater while it’s on, as they could be playing with material that easily catches fire, or they could burn themselves depending on what kind of space heater you have in your home.
Placement, Placement, Placement
Another useful tip to make note of is to always ensure that you maintain proper placement of a space heater! This includes the recommendation of keeping your space heater at least three feet away from any items that could burn or catch fire This includes, but is not limited to, rugs, paper, wood furniture, and clothing. Teach children not to pick-up or move the space heater without supervision, as it could catch fire to materials as it is being moved.
Plug it In
All space heaters should be plugged directly into a wall outlet rather than plugging than a power strip or extension cord. Using either of these will run the risk of overheating the unit and causing a fire. Additionally, you should never plug any other electrical device into the same outlet that the space heater is plugged into.
If you feel as though you require a space heater in your home, it may be a good idea to contact a licensed professional to inspect your HVAC unit in order to determine if they will be able to keep your home warm without having to rely on one a portable devices.
Thank you for visiting the On the Go Heating and Cooling blog, a Las Cruces-based heating and cooling company. We’re happy to have helped you learn more about safety tips for your space heater.