Fall Home Improvement
Staff Writer
HOULTON — Making preparations for the fall season also means getting geared up for the impending winter weather. One of the key issues of becoming winterized is updating and inspecting all the heating sources throughout your home. Houlton Fire Chief Milton Cone said there are a number of things people need to take into account whether they’re using fuel or wood or electricity to heat their homes. All of these sources require ongoing maintenance and Chief Cone said the best way to start off the season is to get those sources properly inspected and prepared.
“If the home is heated with an oil-fired appliance, the recommendation is that they make sure that it is in good repair or have it serviced,” he explained. “Each fuel-burning appliance should be serviced annually. The chimney should be cleaned and obviously not blocked and that’s whether it’s oil-fired or a wood-burning appliance.
“Make sure the chimneys are cleaned and in good repair,” added Chief Cone.
In most cases, people will do a number of things to make their home less drafty, including putting plastic up on windows and doors that are not in use. Chief Cone said that this may seem like a practical move, but he cautioned people to be aware of their fire exits and to make sure that they would not be blocked.
“Historically, with the cold weather, people try to make their homes airtight to heat it and sometimes they’re putting plastic over windows and doors that may be their second means of escape,” he explained. “You want to caution people not to block any means of emergency escape with plastic.”
Cone said the most important part of prepping a home for the fall and winter season is to replace the batteries in the home’s smoke detectors. Chief Cone said every floor has to have a smoke alarm and homeowners need to make sure that they are operational.
“One of the things that is clearly the most important is you want to make sure they have working smoke detectors at all levels of the home,” explained Chief Cone. “During the fall season is a good time that when we turn back the clocks, we usually change the batteries in the smoke detectors. The other thing that we are stressing more and more that they also have a working carbon monoxide detector in the home because any fuel-burning appliance can, if it’s not properly vented, could cause poisonous gas to build up in the home.
“A CO detector in the home is just another level of protection,” he said.
Another piece of advice Cone added was concerning the proper disposal of ashes. Cone said they should never be stored inside the home for any amount of time.
“Ashes should be taken out of the stove and put in a metal container with cover and removed from the home,” he said.
Cone said safety should be used when utilizing any type of heating source, including space heaters. He said too many cases have shown that a fire could have been prevented if those heaters had been used safely.
“The catch phrase is ‘make sure your space heaters have space,’” he remarked. “Don’t put a space heater too close to combustibles, and make sure fuel is stored in an approved container and stored outside as well.”
Another thing people need to take into consideration is that if they are using any heat tapes to protect their water supply, they need to make sure it is an UL approved heat tape that is not pinched and also that if any extension cords are being used that they are heavy enough for the appliance that they may be using.
Chief Cone said if anyone has any questions or concerns about their home’s heating sources, they should contact the fire department.
“If anybody does a new installation, follow the manufacturer’s recommendations on the installation and if there’s a question or concern, than by all means, call the fire department and we will do a courtesy inspection for them,” he said.
And when in doubt, just ask questions. The Houlton Fire Department can be reached at 532-1320.
