Winters can be brutal, and the frigid temperatures can cause your energy bills to rise. It may be tempting to purchase some space heaters to use in areas of your home that tend to stay colder than others. But space heaters are extremely dangerous in homes and even offices. Let’s take a closer look at why you should avoid space heaters.
Cause Fires
The biggest threat from a space heater in your home or office is that it could cause a fire. Space heaters cause about 55,000 fires every year. Because space heaters use so much electricity, this massive use of energy can cause power overloads in circuits which lead to sparks and ultimately, fire. Other reasons space heater use can lead to fires are fabric resting on the heater or a heater tipping over.
Burns
The heating elements of space heaters can burn the hands or paws of small children or pets who play with the grates, but they also can cause burns just by being brushed up against accidentally, so even adults are vulnerable.
Carbon Monoxide
Fuel filled space heaters can build up a dangerous level of carbon monoxide if they’re left on for extended periods of time. Without a carbon monoxide detector to alert you, this could be deadly.
Accidents
A space heater by itself isn’t exactly a danger, but it’s the common human errors associated with it that makes them so dangerous for your home or office. You could forget to turn it off when you leave, or an animal could knock it over when you’re not aware. Dirt and dust could also build up around the grates which could cause fires when it begins to touch the heating element.
Instead of using dangerous space heaters, why not upgrade your heating system? Call us at L&M Heating and Cooling to speak with our trained professionals about what heating system would be best for your home or office.