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Furnace
Season
John Beatty
Portland Fire
Department
Fire and Life
Safety Educator
III
Furnace Season
My
wife and I are
out for a ride
to view the
foliage, and oh
what a
beautiful day
it is. The
trees are aglow
with the
radiant colors
of fall, the
yellows and the
brilliant and
muted colors of
red are
abundant. Life
is good; we
stop off at the
side of the
road for a
picnic lunch.
When all of a
sudden she asks
me if all the
storm windows
in the house
are down, have
you drained the
water out of
all the summer
hoses, and have
you called to
have the
furnace
cleaned. The
answers to all
these question
are yes, yes,
and no. I know
why we should
drain the water
from the hoses
and why we
should put the
storm windows
down but how
come we have to
have the
furnace cleaned
each year.
Isn’t every
couple of years
all right?
I’m
told in a not
so nice way to
call the
furnace company
tomorrow, they
will answer my
questions and
make and
appointment to
have it cleaned
if need be.
Being the
obedient
husband that I
am I call the
next day and
ask the
technician if I
have to have it
cleaned. He
said yes and he
also gave me a
furnace safety
sheet to
follow. Here is
what it had to
say.
-
Schedule
annual
furnace
checkups
with a
heating
contractor.
Inspection
and
prevention
maintenance
are your
best
insurance
against
problems
down the
road.
-
Maintenance
not only
helps
prevent
fires, but
carbon
monoxide
poisoning.
-
Check
the furnace
yourself;
looking for
rusted
parts,
water
stains on
the floor
or leaks.
If you see
anything
like this
call your
repairman
immediately.
-
If
you have an
old oil
tank, have
a
professional
check it
for small
pinholes
that could
be
potential
dangerous.
-
Keep
the furnace
clear of
flammables;
these could
cause a
fire to
occur.
If
you use natural
gas, during the
winter check
your gas
regulator to
see if you have
snow or ice
build up. Ice
and snow build
up can cause
uncontrolled
fuel flow into
your home. Make
sure the rain
gutters don’t
drip water
directly onto
the regulator
or gas meter.
After
talking to my
furnace man I
now see how
important it is
to have my
furnace
maintained each
year.
And as
always, I
should listen
to my wife!
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