I hope your Christmas was merry and bright. Now the New Year is upon us. Please remember as you celebrate the coming in of a new year, to celebrate responsibly. Make sure if you are planning on driving to a party that you have a designated driver to return home if you consume adult beverages. No one wants the New Year to begin with a tragedy.
As the winter sets in more, our temperatures are dropping. Make sure that furnaces are inspected and serviced. Portable space heaters can help warm rooms but can be expensive and dangerous in the wrong places. Make sure they have automatic shut-offs and are away from any flammable materials. The heaters should be plugged directly into an outlet and not connected by extension cords.
If you are using your fireplace for the first time, be cautious of chimney fires and if possible, have your it inspected before use. Make sure children stay at least three feet away from fireplaces, wood/pellet stoves, oil stoves and other heaters.
Don’t forget to replace batteries in smoke alarms if you didn’t do it during Fire Prevention Week in October. Test the alarms to make sure they are in working order. Many people have also installed carbon monoxide alarms just in case with some stoves and heaters.
This is also a time for frozen pipes so the American Red Cross has put out the following information on how to protect pipes from freezing: 1) Keep garage doors closed if there are water supply lines in the garage. 2) Open kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors to allow warmer air to circulate around the plumbing. Be sure to move any harmful cleaners and household chemicals up out of the reach of children. 3) When the weather is very cold outside, let the cold-water drip from the faucet served by exposed pipes. Running water through the pipe-even at a trickle-helps prevent pipes from freezing. 4) Keep the thermostat set to the same temperature both during the day and at night. By temporarily suspending the use of lower nighttime termperatures, you may incur a higher heating bill, but you can prevent a much more costly repair job if pipes freeze and burst. 5) If you will be going away during cold weather, leave the heat on in your home, set to a temperature no lower than 55° F.
If you do find you have frozen pipes, be very careful how you thaw them. The American Red Cross gives the following advice: “Do not use a blowtorch, kerosene or propane heater, charcoal stove or other open flame device. Keep the faucet open. As you treat the frozen pipe and frozen area begins to melt, water will begin to flow through the frozen area. Running water through the pipe will help melt ice in the pipe. Apply heat to the section of pipe using an electric heating pad wrapped around the pipe an electric hair dryer, a portable space heater (kept away from flammable materials, or by wrapping pipes with towels soaked in hot water. Apply heat until full water pressure is restored. I you are unable to locate the frozen area, if the frozen area is not accessible, or if you cannot thaw the pipe, call a licensed plumber.”
Have a very Happy New Year and be safe.
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