When you heat your home during the winter months, you could possibly put your family in danger and not even know it. This is because some heating problems could cause your home to catch on fire. To prevent this from happening to you, below are two tips to keep and you and your family safe and warm.

Check the Furnace

If you heat your home with a furnace, you need to have it maintained at least once per year. The best time to do this is at the end of fall before it starts getting too cold. If you do not have it maintained, the motor could burn out, which would cause the furnace to catch on fire. This could happen if debris and dirt collect on the motor, or improper voltage can cause the motor to burn out. If the filter on the furnace is clogged, it causes dust to build up on the blower motor.

If you have your furnace maintained, an HVAC contractor cleans the motor, as well as checks the filter and changes it, if needed. The HVAC contractor will check other things, such as the wiring, the starter, and more.This maintenance not only keeps you safe but also extends the life of your furnace. For help inspecting your furnace, go to http://robinsonheatingandcooling.com/.

Check the Fireplace

If you heat your home with a fireplace, you need to also inspect it. First, there should be glass or screen over the fireplace opening to prevent sparks from flying out and catching something on fire. Only burn wood that is dried out or seasoned. If you hit two pieces of wood together and they sound hollow then the wood is dried out.

When you start a fire, use dry kindling or clean newspaper. Never use kerosene or gasoline to start a fire. Do not burn things like wrapping paper or cardboard boxes and use large logs instead of several small logs.

The most important thing you should do is to have your chimney inspected and cleaned to remove creosote that may have built up on the chimney walls. If there is a lot of creosote the chimney could catch on fire.  A chimney sweeper can do this maintenance for you. Ask the chimney sweeper for advice on what you can do throughout the season to keep your fireplace safe.

These two tips should help you rest easy knowing heating your home will not harm you or your family.