Are Space Heaters Dangerous? – How to Stay Safe

During the cold season, space heaters tend to be very popular. They are perfect for helping you stay warm and toasty as winter rages on. But are they completely safe to use? What are the risks and how can they be minimized? Well, this is what we plan on discussing here today. After reading this article, you should have a much clearer concept of space heaters.

The Risks

The gravest concern with space heaters is that they have the potential to start fires. However, this is not necessarily something you will have to deal with. It is just important to be aware that being careless can cause a fire.

Among the most dangerous ways to use a space heater is to leave it on overnight. This can be particularly frightening if there is a fire, as you might not have access to escape routes by the time you wake up. Additionally, some space heaters can overwhelm your circuits, which also has the potential to start a fire and could even lead to a power failure.

When you leave an electric heater on, you have to worry about fires, but you also need to be careful with fuel-fired heaters. In the case of the latter, you have to be mindful of excessive exposure to carbon monoxide. Leaving a fuel-fired heater on as you sleep is objectively dangerous due to this. Hence, installing carbon monoxide alarms in your house is advisable.

Since it is meant to raise the temperature of the room, the heater itself tends to be very hot. In a house with children or pets, there will always be the possibility of either a child or a pet burning themselves. Even as an adult, you might burn yourself on the heater accidentally.

How to Stay Safe

While space heaters have the potential to cause problems, they are not inherently bad. It is fairly easy to use a space heater for the long term and not worry about any of these issues. The real problems emerge when people are careless and do not use it properly.

One of the most obvious safety tips would be that you should never leave your heater on while asleep. As mentioned above, this will only increase the chances of a fire. Adding onto this, it is generally reckless to leave your heater unattended. If it has been switched on, you should be in a position to keep an eye on it. Besides that, you need to make sure your heater is placed away from children and pets.

You should place space heaters on the floor when it is in use. They are not meant to be used on a table or any other surface. This makes it a little challenging to keep them away from children and pets, but a little hassle is preferable to anyone getting hurt.

Where you choose to place the space heater is important for other reasons as well. For one, you should never place heaters directly in front of wiring or any circuit as the heat will most likely cause a fire. Furthermore, you should not place the heater in a room with excessive moisture as this will lead to shocks and can be dangerous. You should also avoid plugging space heaters into extension cords. They are fairly demanding devices, so plugging them in alongside other appliances carries the risk of causing a circuit overload.

Lastly, do not forget about maintenance. You need to make sure you check on your heater every once in a while. This is to inspect it for any damage as well as for cleaning it. Dust build-up can cause problems, which is why you need to regularly clean your heater. You should also look out for frayed wires, which carry the risk of causing fires.

Tips For Space Heater Safety

Although at this time calendar say it’s spring but there are still some cold area in U.S. experiencing cold and snow. As you can see heaters are dangerous if you don’t take care of it properly. But there are some basic tips you should take care of it and there will be no fire cause bu heater at all.

Space heater fires are costly. Over the past five years (2008 to 2012), Nationwide paid more than $48 million in claims related to space heaters, with the average claim topping more than $40,000.

Step 1: Follow the 3-foot rule. Must follow this step to ensure your space heater is 3 feet away from you to not burn your skin and things that catch fire like furniture, bedding, and drapes. These thing catch fire in no time if you not follow 3 feet rule.

Step 2: Keep it on the level. Always place your heater on hard flat nonflammable surface, away from rugs and carpets. If you place on carpet or hardwood surface there is a chance it would catch fire if not attention every min. Heater place on uneven surface can tip and lead to cause more damage to your home.

Step 3: Size Does Matter. Make sure to buy the right size space heater for you room such as large room or only for personal use heater. For large rooms a small heater won’t work and for small space large heater can cause fire and produce carbon monoxide poising if gas heater. Keep an eye your smoke detector every day to ensure it work properly, smoke detector can save your live and also alarming family member in other rooms.

Step 4: Have a plan. You must have safety plan if fire cause in your home or any dangerous situation to move safely  until firefighters arrive. Running a heater and other appliance that cause fire, must have safety plan for that to escape such situation safely.

Step 5: Avoid To Use Cord Extenders. Don’t overextend the space heater cord it may put you in serious trouble to cause fire in your home. Plug-in electric powered cord in an outlet near your bed or where you sitting with enough capacity. It is important to contact your insurance agents to claim your damage.

Tips for Buying Space Heaters

Space heaters can be very helpful during winters, but as mentioned above, there are some risks involved. Minimizing the risks is not too challenging, but it would be even better to purchase a high-quality heater in the first place. Quality heaters include certain features that make them much safer to use than the alternatives. Plus, there are many instances of cheap heaters short-circuiting, so it is better to look for high-quality models.

As you look for heaters to buy, you should always make sure that they have been tested by a trustworthy and nationally recognized laboratory. Heaters with this seal of approval will always be reliable. Additionally, having this approval means that they meet the safety standards.

Energy efficiency is another important consideration. Since space heaters can potentially overwhelm your circuits, it would be worthwhile to make sure you purchase one that will not cause a power outage in your home. If you struggle to find energy-efficient heaters, you can always buy a regular heater that has options for energy saving.

Safety features are, of course, the most important consideration. Most current models are designed to include various features which promote safety and prevent unfortunate incidents. Some of these would be a cool-to-touch surface, automatically switching off when tipped over, and overheat protection. You should pay close attention to these features when you go shopping.

Conclusion

Space heaters are not inherently dangerous. While they carry potential for some very dangerous hazards, it is fairly easy to avoid them. The real problem with space heaters is using them inappropriately or carelessly. Leaving your heater on unattended in front of several wires is clearly dangerous, but the heater cannot be blamed for any damage this causes. It is clearly a matter of human error.

At the individual level, one needs to be mindful of the risks and make an effort to minimize them. This is not particularly inconvenient and only carries benefits for you. Hence, if you are planning on buying a space heater, go ahead! Just remember the tips we shared with you so that you do not get a faulty or defective product.