The temperatures are quickly dropping and you might be using
a small, temporary space heater before making the leap to crank up the thermostat. Although small and
rather convenient, space heaters might provide a bigger risk than reward.
According to the U.S. Consumer Product
Safety Commission, the combination of using a space heater with a power strip
is estimated to have resulted in about 3,300 house fires each year, killing 50
people and injuring about 270. Knowing this, it’s important to keep the
capability of both the heater and the outlets you are using in mind, and follow
safety precautions whenever you are using a space heater.
Read on to learn more about space heaters
and how to use them safely in your home.
Why You Shouldn’t Plug Space Heaters Into Power Strips
Power strips are not designed to handle
the high current flow of a space heater. By plugging a space heater into a
power strip or surge protector, you force the strip to over-exert energy. This can result in overheating,
sparking and - worst case scenario - a fire.
How to Safely Use Space Heaters
Although they should be used as a last
resort and not as your main source of heat, it’s important to follow these 5
steps when using a space heater in your home:
1. Know the capability of the outlet you
plan to use. The outlet should not be loose or temperamental.
2. Ensure that the second outlet is not
being used by any other sources. If it is, move the other sources to a
different outlet.
3.
Clear a 3-foot radius around the space heater, ensuring there is nothing
flammable nearby (curtains, chemicals, paper, etc.).
4. After plugging the space heater into a
safe and isolated outlet, turn the heater on and stay close by while in use.
5. Never leave a space heater turned on
and unattended in your home.
What to Do If Your Space Heater Causes a Fire
Grab a nearby fire extinguisher (make
sure your home has one!) and use it to put out the fire. Because you are
presumably maintaining a close watch, you should catch the fire almost
immediately and be able to quickly put it out with a small home extinguisher.
If the previously addressed steps are not followed and the fire escalates,
quickly remove yourself and family from the home by following your
fire escape plan. Your family should meet at your predetermined emergency
meeting spot and call 911 to handle the fire.
When exiting the home, do not be
distracted by trying to grab items of sentiment. Things, unlike yourself and
your family, can be replaced.
Use Safety Precautions to Rest Easy
The last thing any homeowner or renter wants to think about is the
possibility of fire. But thinking ahead, learning about safety precautions and
following them adamantly is the best way to stay safe and prevent a fire from
starting in your home. To learn more about home fire prevention, click here. And to learn more about
protecting your property with home or renters insurance, click on the button
below.
