I am resending this to all because we can all forget to get our boiler maintained. It's usually insured, but a Puffback or soot damage from a malfuncting boiler is a real mess.
It’s time to think about preventing a fire, soot damage or “puffback” in your home or business, especially if you have a boiler heating system and space heaters. It’s all about maintenance and being safe!
Our winter season is at the half-way point—and it’s getting colder--so, we are all looking for warm alternatives as 2013 ramps up. But, this is also the time of year that boilers can “puffback” soot into your property, or a portable heater can be moved too close to a fabric chair or couch that may be flammable.
A puffback occurs when an oil burner backfires and sends oily soot throughout your home or business. This anomaly can happen if a boiler is older, not well-maintained, or just malfunctions for technical reasons.
Most of us love a warm, cozy home and a comfortable workplace, so we may light a nice fire at home on winter evenings, or move a space heater near our couch and under our desks at the office. In fact, alternative heat sources like fireplaces, portable space heaters and wood burning stoves are getting a lot of use, with higher gas and oil prices this year.
Our family has a new-ish, energy efficient boiler in Fleetwood, NY, but that oil bill is still painful to open each month. So, I got my father and stepmom some portable heaters—the safe, not flammable and oil filled kind.
There is less of a fire hazard with these contained heaters, although I'm fond of "ceramic heaters" under my desk at work in cold months like January!
I just want to make everyone aware of the risks for heaters.
You may want to stay on the alert about heating sources that are too close to your ergonomic fabric chair at work, or your dog's favorite fabric chew toy near your evening fire.
Most of us, who enjoy decorating, will have a fireplace area that is surrounded by a flammable carpet or home decorations. There is a reason that builders put non-flammable slate or brick around our fireplaces.
So, just keep an eye on children’s or pet’s toys that stray onto the “hearth” next to that crackling, cozy fire.
Heating is the second leading cause of home fire deaths, making it important to review ways that can help you reduce a heating-related fire risk (National Fire Prevention Association). Get those boilers checks and keep heaters away from your couch throw that Aunt Ellen knitted for your family!
Here are some of my helpful (we hope) hints from Hillary ~ about heat source and appliance fire prevention:
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- Maintain your heating equipment and chimneys by having them cleaned and inspected annually by a qualified professional.
- Use heaters that have a recognized label for safety from a qualified company / laboratory.
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All heaters need space, so keep flammable objects at least three feet away from heating equipment.
- Plug space heaters directly into outlets, never into an extension cord or power strip.
- When using fuel-burning heaters, uses only the type of fuel specified by the manufacturer, AND keep them maintained!
- Install and maintain carbon monoxide and smoke alarms inside your home and business; test alarms monthly.
If you do experience a nightmare -- like a fire, soot pr puffback damage, do not get out the cleaning spray and your guy's old t-shirt rag with auto oil stains. You want to "dry clean or wipe" the soot from EVERY surface -- or you'll find it on little chatchkes for months. This will prevent your sealing the odor and particulate into porous surfaces. Or hire a licensed contractor because soot is a particulate and can be carcinogenic if ingested / inhaled.
Use MANY clean, white rags until they wipe clean from a surgace. You can use a strong detergent soap for non-porous counters, tables and such. It's a long and painful process...and one we had to tackle in college, after burning rice, the pan and a kitchen up in college with friends. We really try to concentrate on a family's sentimental items, like a favorite doll, as you can see -- before and after!
Last, all clothes and textiles will likely have to go to a specialized cleaners for ozone or other odor treatments. Plus, couches and bedding may need to be specially dry cleaned and that can be done in place. Most companies will help you with sentimental items, like that favorite doll, even if it seems to be past the point of cleaningwell.
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