How to Guard Your Home Security When Using Space Heaters

How to Guard Your Home Security When Using Space Heaters

For houses and apartments without central heating, or those whose houses have a room that always seems to be drafty, space heaters can be a staple of keeping warm in the winter. They're relatively cheap and convenient, and they make a cold January night so much more bearable. But unfortunately, there are few bigger threats to your personal safety and home security than space heaters.

Though space heaters can use natural gas or propane, most are electric. Even though they don't have an open flame, the units can be hot enough to ignite fires if they come into contact with flammable items nearby, like bedding, paper, furniture, or certain liquids. Before space heaters' threat to home security was widely known, countless fires and accidents occurred across the United States, resulting in hundreds of deaths. In 1994 alone, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission attributed 2,400 fires, 80 deaths, 240 injures, and $48.2 million in property loss to the devices.

No one expects you to shiver through the winter with fleece sweaters and cups of tea alone. So how do you make sure that your electric space heater doesn't pose a threat to your home security? There are some easy steps that you can follow.

First, you want to make sure that the space heater you're buying is of the top quality. Research different brands on the internet, and look at consumer reviews. This is not the place to scrimp and save. You can actually check out whether or not a brand you're interested in has been tested in a nationally-recognized laboratory by reading the box thoroughly or asking a salesperson. This would indicate that it is being held to higher safety standards than other untested brands.

If you use an extension cord, make sure not to run it under any carpeting or rugs. Make sure your extension chord as a third grounding prong. Also make sure to purchase a heater that comes with a guard to protect the heating element from outside exposure. This can look like a wire grill. Heaters that use water or oil may produce lower temperatures and not need these however.

Keep the electric heaters away from anything combustible. This means away from the wall, any window that may have draperies, furniture, trashcans, liquids such as nail polish, etc. Once you've found a safe place for it, make sure you don't compromise it by carelessly throwing your clothes next to the heater at the end of a long workday. You'll undo all the work you had just done to ensure your home security in a matter of seconds.

Just like any electrical appliance, keep these devices away from sources of water. Never use them in the bathroom or near a sink this is the one room in the house that you might have to wear your parka and slippers into at all times!

And finally, in case the work happens, make sure to keep your space heater in a room with a working smoke/heat detector. Make sure to keep your detector on! This is essential. You may get annoyed cooking something and having the detector go off, but would you rather lose your entire home to a fire?

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