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Safety Resources - Heating Appliance Safety

Gas Appliances | Furnace | Water Heaters | Fireplace & Logs

By properly caring for your appliances, you'll help ensure safe and effective operations.

All Gas Appliances

• Never store rags, mops, paper and other combustible near any gas appliance.
• Never store or use flammable products in the same room or near any gas or heat-producing appliance. Flammable products include gasoline, spray paints, solvents, insecticide, adhesive, foggers, varnish and other pressurized containers.
• Keep flammable products far from gas appliances in approved, tightly closed containers and out of the reach of children.

It's important to maintain your furnace for safety and operating efficiency. Follow the tips listed below for the types of furnace in your home.

Floor Furnace

• Avoid lint build-up by vacuuming floor furnace regularly.
• Keep children away from the grill, as it gets very hot.
• Avoid fires - don't place rugs, furniture or combustible items over the grill or block the air flow.

• Clean burners compartment of built-in vented wall furnaces once a month during the heating season.

• Keep furnace heat register free of lint and dust.
• Don't store items nearby which might s the airflow.

• Most have a filter that cleans the air before heating and circulating it throughout the home. A clogged filter can reduce heater efficiency.
• Check your filter monthly by holding it up to a light. Replace or clean clogged filters.
• When installing filters, be sure to reinstall the filter access panel/door correctly. This will protect against possible injury or loss of life from asphyxiation. Refer to your owner's manual for correct panel position.

Using an un-vented gas heater in your home could be a violation of the California Health and Safety Code. These heaters are not approved for use in home because:

• Poor operation can result in an accumulation of hazardous fumes.
• Unless an room heater has enough air from an outside vent or an opening window, all of the oxygen in a room can be used up, resulting in illness or death.
• The flames in these heaters are not fully covered, which could result in fires.

All gas appliances have a main burner flame and most also have a pilot flame. To reduce the risk of flammable vapors being ignited by these flames, follow these tips:

• Do not install a water heater where flammable products will be stored or used.
• Water heaters installed in garages must be elevated a minimum of 18 inches above the floor.
• Lower water heater temperature to prevent scalding accidents. Water temperatures above 125° F can cause severe burns or even death.
• Read your instruction manual before setting the temperature. It should contain information about temperature-limiting valves.
• Feel the water temperature before bathing or showering.
• Earthquakes can cause improperly secured water heaters to move or ple. To help prevent this, we recommend you strap it solidly to the wall studs. Click here for more information on earthquake safety.
• Contact your local building department or permitting agency to confirm that your water heater is properly secured.

More than one-third of Americans use fireplaces, wood stoves and other fuel-fired
appliances as primary heat sources in their homes. Unfortunately, many people are unaware of the fire risks when heating with wood and solid fuels.

Keep Fireplaces and Wood Stoves Clean

• Have your chimney or wood stove inspected and cleaned annually by a certified chimney specialist.
• Clear the area around the hearth of debris, decorations and flammable materials.
• Always use a metal mesh screen with fireplaces. Leave glass doors open while burning a fire.
• Install stovepipe thermometers to help monitor flue temperatures.
• Keep air inlets on wood stoves open, and never restrict air supply to fireplaces. Otherwise you may cause creosote buildup that could lead to a chimney fire.
• Use fire-resistant materials on walls around wood stoves.

• Never use flammable liquids to start a fire.
• Use only seasoned hardwood. Soft, moist wood accelerates creosote buildup.
• Build small fires that burn completely and produce less smoke.
• Never burn cardboard boxes, trash or debris in your fireplace or wood stove.
• When building a fire, place logs at the rear of the fireplace on an adequate supporting grate.
• Never leave a fire in the fireplace unattended. Extinguish the fire before going to bed or leaving the house.
• Soak hot ashes in water and place them in a metal container outside your home.

• Stack firewood outdoors at least 30 feet away from your home.
• Keep the roof clear of leaves, pine needles and other debris.
• Cover the chimney with a mesh screen spark arrester.
• Remove branches hanging above the chimney, flues or vents.

• Install smoke alarms on every level of your home. Test them monthly and change the batteries at least once a year. Consider installing the new long life smoke alarms.
• Provide proper venting systems for all heating equipment.

Extend all vent pipes at least three feet above the roof.

To help avoid serious accidents, the damper must be blocked open on a permanent basis.