Space heaters are a good way to use the technique of ‘zone heating’, which is where rooms in the home are left unheated when they are unoccupied. But, once the room becomes occupied, the space heater is turned on to warm it up.
Coming home to a warm and cozy environment helps to make all of the stress of the day just melt away. There are a variety of ways that people stay warm during the winter months. Some have a fireplace, heat pump, or furnace and others use several space heaters to keep each individual room warm when someone is using it.
Here are some tips for using space heaters safely:
- When your space heater is not in use, make sure that you unplug it and keep it stored away from small children. If they decide they are cold and try to plug the space heater in, all sorts of injuries could occur. Not to mention the heater will be running without your knowledge.
- Keep your space heater plugged into a designed outlet when it use. Don’t plug them into extension cords or temporary forms of electricity. Make sure there aren’t several electrical items overloading the outlet or circuits that your space heater is using.
- Keep items like clothing, blankets, and curtains away from your space heaters. These items could easily start on fire if they are left against the hot space heater for too long. Also, depending on the fabric they are made from, a hot space heater could melt these materials leaving behind the residue on the heating element of the heater.
- Inspect your carbon monoxide detectors regularly if your space heaters are powered by gas. Carbon monoxide detectors do just what they name implies, and they are essential to making sure that your home and your family are safe.
- Make sure that your purchase your space heater brand new and that it is has a label identifying that it was inspected by Underwriters laboratory. This is the recommended testing center by the Electrical Safety Commission.
Using space heaters is a great way to improve the warmth of your home. But, they should be used with caution and with safety in mind. Any kind of electrical appliances comes with some risk, but if you are using the item correctly, you can prevent any kind of damage or injury caused by the appliance.