This winter has been crazy — the cold days, frost and blizzards are never-ending, the roads are paved with salt, and it doesn’t seem to be improving any time soon. The layers of clothing are increasing and people still don’t seem to be feeling any warmer when darting from door to car. At the end of a long day, there’s nothing better than coming in out of the cold, cuddling up next to a nice, cosy space heater, and finally warming up.
Space heaters are popular devices for a number of reasons: They’re small, cost efficient and can keep your family warm. But it turns out, many people use them incorrectly and in an instant, tragedy can strike. These dangerously cold temperatures often mean people do whatever it takes to warm their homes. From rigging up old heaters, to using the oven – firefighters say putting comfort before safety can be deadly. Staying warm in this cold weather can be a tough task if the home is hard to heat.
improper use of space heaters
This time of year, firefighters battle all sorts of blazes that were started by things, like the improper use of space heaters. "Trying to heat your home with a space heater that is old and not functioning properly is not a good idea.”
Trying to heat your home with a space heater that is old and not functioning properly is not a good idea"
Choose a safe space heater. Newer models are safer than old ones as trying to heat the home with a space heater that is old and not functioning properly is not a good idea. Keep the space heater at least three feet away from anything flammable. That means clothes and blankets, stacks of newspapers, combustible liquids like insect repellent and bleach, walls, and even pile or shag carpets. Basically, there should be a clear three-foot radius around the heater. Materials like blankets and curtains can easily catch fire.
Potential dangers and possible killers
Make sure that the house can handle it. That little box uses a ton of electricity — as much as fifteen 100-watt light bulbs, to be exact. Pumping all this out can be too much for older houses with old wires and electrical circuits, and when wires get over-juiced, fires start inside the walls, where they’re hard to spot and even harder to reach. If the fuse box trips, that means the user has gone too far. Never use an extension cord with a space heater.
Odds are it’s not strong enough to handle the power necessary to run the heater. The user should move a little closer instead (still three feet away, though). Don’t run extension cords under carpeting. Don’t try to heat the home with the oven or hob and don’t bring charcoal in and use it in the fireplace. These are things that are potential dangers and possible killers. If the plug and cord get warm, turn it off. That’s a sure-fire sign that the user is in the danger zone.
working CO detectors
The pets will be fine with a few blankets and the kids will sleep alright with a few blankets, too
If anyone is buying a new space heater, ask to open the box before they take it home so they can make sure the cord and plug are well insulated. Stock the house with working smoke detectors. That way if something does go wrong, the user will be able to get out of the house and summon professionals to deal with it. Residents should not forget working CO detectors, too.
More than just a smoke detector’s sidekick, a carbon monoxide detector will sniff out deadly gas leaks caused by improperly vented space heaters. Never use a space heater when the user is not in the room. The pets will be fine with a few blankets and the kids will sleep alright with a few blankets, too. An unsupervised space heater is a recipe for disaster. So, turning off the space heater when the user leaves the room should not be forgotten.
central heat strategy
Never put the space heater on top of anything. Despite its name, it’s not actually supposed to be in space. It’s supposed to be on the floor, where it can’t overheat the room’s ceiling, light the bookshelf on fire, or fall over. Keep space heaters away from water. The space heaters should not be touched in case they’re wet, and should not be put in damp areas because the user would not want to get zapped. Finally, don’t rely totally on space heaters.
They’re supposed to supplement a central heat strategy, not replace it — trying to put a space heater in every room is incredibly risky, and ends up being more expensive than central heating. If the house is cold, and the resident is looking for a widespread heating solution, investing in good insulation is a much better call.
