House Fires – This Could Save Your Home and Your Life

Imagine if your house burned down. Think about that for just a minute.

Where would you go?

What would you do?

How many precious belongings would be lost forever?

Of course preventing house fires should be a priority for you. But in reality, how often do you really think about it? How often do you take proactive steps to prevent it.

Well, if you’re like most homeowners, you probably give it little thought. Or maybe you never thought the risk is all that high.

The truth is that house fires are far more common than you might think. And when temperatures outside drop, the risk of a house fire actually increases.

Heating Systems Are The Second Leading Cause of Fire Related Deaths!

Faulty heating equipment such as HVAC systems, fireplaces, wood stoves and portable heaters are the second leading cause of house fire related deaths. This is why it is extremely important to keep the heating equipment inside your home properly maintained.

Steps to Take to Prevent House Fires:

Regular service of HVAC systems, water heaters and boilers – Combustion burning appliances get dirty from regular use and must be professionally cleaned and serviced regularly to ensure their safe operation.

Regular cleaning of fireplace chimneys – Fireplaces should be professionally cleaned and inspected for combustion deposits before their use every year.

Proper use of portable heaters – Portable heaters need to be placed at least three feet away from anything combustible and should never be put where they can get knocked over.

Proper storage of household items away from heat sources, including pilot lights.

What About Your Smoke Detector?

All smoke detectors are not created equal. Within the past few years, newer smoke detectors with photoelectric sensors have become available. These types of smoke detectors are much more sensitive to slow, smoldering fires. Older technology smoke detectors contain an ionic sensor that sets off the alarm when it “sees” a fire.

When used together, these smoke detectors provide a much greater level of protection against house fires.

You Need to Have This In Your Home

In addition to smoke detectors, you should equip your home with at least one effective fire extinguisher per floor. There are different types of fire extinguishers available for different types of fires. For example, an extinguisher rated Type B-C is effective in fighting grease and electrical fires and an extinguisher rated Type A-B-C will cover fires fueled by wood, grease and electricity.

Blanton’s Heating and Air provides high quality heating and air services to the residents of Fayetteville, NC. They hope that this information has been helpful. Please contact Blanton’s Heating and Air for more information on the many heating and air services that they offer.