Derek Cole walks through five essential safety rules for space heaters: plug directly into walls, keep three feet of clearance, turn them off when you leave, use units with automatic shutoffs, and treat them like hot stoves around kids and pets. Frequent use might signal problems with your HVAC or insulation worth fixing.
Questions this episode answers
At least 3 ft of space around the heater.
Directly into a wall outlet — do not use extension cords or power strips.
Tip-over protection and an automatic shutoff.
Turn it off when you leave the room or go to bed (do not leave unattended).
Do not run a heater in a bathroom or laundry room unless it is rated for damp locations.
Chapters
A space suitor should make your home more comfortable, not more dangerous. Follow those tips I laid out today the five different areas. Follow those tips. Hey, everyone, this is Derek Cole. Welcome back to the Home and Life Comfort podcast. Thank you for joining us. And today we're talking about something that can be both a danger and. And a comfort. But if you're careful, it should be fine. And that space here, we all love that extra warmth when the cold creeps in. But every year, space heaters cause thousands of fires across the country. The problem isn't the heater itself. It's how people use them. So let's go over what really keeps you safe before you plug in that space heater. Number one, power and placement. First of all, always, always, always plug a space heater directly into the wall. Never use a drop cord. Use a power strip. They're not built to handle that much current. And with them not being able to handle that much current, they can overheat really fast. So always plug your space heater directly into the wall outlet. Nothing in between. No extension cords, no power strips. Always plug it in directly to the wall outlet. Next, never give. Never crowd your heater, okay? Never crowd your heater. Give it at least 3ft of space around the heater. That way, nothing can come in contact that could catch on fire. We're talking about furniture, curtains, bedding, any bedding, animal bedding. Make sure it is three feet of space around the heater so it can breathe. And always keep it on a flat, solid surface, meaning no rugs. Don't put it on a table. It needs to be on a flat, solid, solid surface. A table that can tip over is a recipe for disaster. A rug that can tip it over, and then it's face down on the rug, which, again, you don't have three feet of space, is also a disaster. So keep that in mind. That's number one, power and placement. Number two, smart operation. Your heater. Your heater is like a candle, okay? It's nice when you're round, it's nice and warm. But when you're not around, turn it off, blow the candle out. Of course, I don't recommend candles because of everything that could be in the candle. But when you're not around the space heater, just like a candle, you want to blow the candle out. Space heater, you want to turn it off when you leave the room or you go to bed. And also, never run it in a bathroom or laundry room unless it's ready for those damp places. Don't run it in that space, please don't, don't ever cover it up. Hanging clothes on it, hanging towels on it to make it dry faster. Maybe that clothes in to dry faster so you can put it on the space heater. Please don't do that. So number two, smart operation. Number three, equipment and maintenance. When you buy a heater, look for. If you're going to buy a heater, look for one with a tip over protection, an automatic shutoff. Check the cord on these heaters to make sure it's not frayed, melted, damaged. Don't think a bigger heater means better? A heater that's too powerful for your space just works harder than it should and eats up more electricity than it should. So just like at home, your unit should be sized right. Also, don't get too big of a heater for a very small space. So equipment and maintenance is very important. Again, tip over protection, automatic shut offs and right size the heater for the space you want to use it in. Number four, kids, pets and common sense. If you got kids or pets, keep them clear of the heater. Treat it like a stove. Treat like a hot stove, okay? Safe when respected, dangerous when ignored. Take a minute. Teach your family how to turn it off. Everyone in the house should know how to stay safe with the heater. And number five, and finally, the bigger picture. If, if you're using a space heater all winter long, that's usually a sign your home's heating system isn't performing right. Or maybe your ductwork is leaking. Or maybe the airflows uneven. Or maybe your insulation is just not. Is just letting the heat escape faster than your system can overcome it. If that sounds like your house, don't just keep adding space heaters to the space. Give us a call. Call Simmons. One hour. Let's see what the real issue is. Let's fix it for good. That way your whole home stays warm and safe. A space shooter should make your home more comfortable, not more dangerous. Follow those tips I laid out today. The five different areas. Follow those tips. But if you're having cold spots around the house, give us a call to see what's going on. Or go to simmons1hour.com.
