Check furnace for fire safety

One more reason to have your furnace inspected and cleaned: Fire safety.

A professional furnace technician will examine wiring, the heat exchanger and other components that may be weakening due to normal wear and tear. You also might have a hazard if dirt, grease and debris have infiltrated your system.

You can help yourself by making sure that the area around the furnace is clear of flammable items that could catch on fire if the furnace throws a spark.

Home heating safety

To be sure, furnaces are among the safest heating appliances and they are getting safer, thanks to new technology. Still, they can cause home fires.

Space heaters are by far the most likely to set a home fire, according to the National Fire Protection Association, which studies fire data in detail. It reviewed more than 250,000 home fires between 2014 and 2018 and found that heating equipment fires resulted in an estimated 500 civilian deaths; 1,350 civilian injuries; and $1.1 billion in direct property damage each year!

Space heaters were blamed for more than 40 percent of fires as well as “the vast majority” of deaths and injuries, the NFPA found.

Next most dangerous: “Approximately two in five home heating equipment fires involved heating equipment that relied upon a solid fuel, such as wood-burning or pellet stoves or wood-burning fireplaces,” the NFPA said.

Furnaces and fires

Furnaces are much, much safer.

“Just over one in 10 home heating equipment fires involved central heating equipment,” the study found.

The NFPA said that periodic checks make furnaces even safer:

“Occasional maintenance of furnaces or boilers by heating service professionals is important for detecting and repairing problems caused by the deterioration of equipment, such as the deterioration of the physical integrity of the heat exchanger.”

The heat exchanger plays a major part in a home furnace. It heats air and it enables gas and air to be separated to prevent carbon monoxide and other dangerous side effects.

Lighthouse techs are skilled at maintaining and installing furnaces, boilers and other heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. Our locally owned company serves Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan and Long Island.