Furnace Safety Tips

How to Keep Your Family Safe: Furnace Safety 101

Natural gas furnaces come in four varieties: central gravity models, floor models, central forced-air models, and wall versions. Below, our furnace repair Sacramento team shares a few recommendations for maintaining your furnace. 

Vacuuming

First, our heating company Sacramento shares that lint and dust pose a threat in the vicinity of your furnace. You can avoid dust buildup by sweeping the inside and outside of your furnace once a month. If you don’t vacuum, dust might accumulate and cause a fire. Cleaning instructions may be found in your furnace maintenance manual. In addition, if you have any maintenance concerns, you may contact a professional heating provider. Clean the insides of the burner chambers on wall furnaces. To avoid lint buildup, clean this region at least once a month throughout the winter. The flame on a natural gas furnace should be blue. Orange or yellow flames may indicate that your furnace needs to be cleaned or adjusted by an expert.

Maintain Air Flow in the Furnace

To function properly, your furnace need fresh air. If your furnace isn’t getting enough air, it might deplete the oxygen in your home. Low oxygen levels are extremely dangerous for you and your family. Furthermore, any obstructions to air movement may cause your furnace to heat portions of your home unevenly. This makes your furnace work harder and costs you more money. Clearing blockages and opening floor registers will assist keep heat evenly distributed throughout your house.

Keep Flammable Items at a Safe Distance

Remove any objects that might catch fire due to the heat. Some households make use of their furnace room for storage or washing. If your furnace room serves more than one purpose, keep it as orderly as possible. Aything left close to the furnace becomes a hazard. Avoid hanging clothing from furnace equipment if you use your furnace room as a wash room. Also, store cleaning supplies, especially kitty litter, in sealed containers. Ammonia fumes can damage the heat exchanger in your furnace. Any combustible item kept at the low flash point area is extremely dangerous.