By Charles Romans
Carter County Times
The winter season blows in with an entirely new round of concerns. There are roads hazards, of course, from rain that turns to ice in freezing temperatures to the difficulty negotiating excessive snowfall. There is also the threat posed to the electric grid from either or both of these types of precipitations, and many area residents face a constant possibility of loss of electricity. But unlike in the summer when loss of power is more inconvenience than actual threat to health and safety, loss of electric in the frigid winter temperatures escalate beyond inconvenience and into actual danger.
One very real risk in a power outage is the likelihood those affected may have also lost their primary, and quite possibly their only, source of heat. Many modern homes are heated by electricity or natural/propane gas furnaces. Heat pumps for electrical heating systems will of course not work without electricity, and even the blowers that circulate the heat in gas furnace systems require electricity to circulate the generated heat.
When homes equipped with these types of heat lose their electrical power supply, residents are forced to turn to supplementary or backup heat sources. These types of secondary heat sources include fireplaces, woodburning stoves, kerosene heaters, and portable propane heaters. Each of these secondary heat sources have their individual cautions and dangers and should be used cautiously to mitigate safety risks as much as possible. Certain types of heat carry the risk of fumes inside a residential area and others can become a fire hazard if not used properly.
Fireplaces were once common as the primary heat sources in homes, though now they have been relegated to an almost aesthetic addition. The same could be said for woodburning stoves, though both can provide a good source of heat for a home. Some issues that need to be addressed are the age and condition of the chimney or pipes, respectively. Have they been cleaned recently? Has the chimney been maintained and used regularly? Is the venting for each in good condition? Many home fires have resulted in catastrophe due to obstructed, old and worn, or damaged chimneys and piping.
Kerosene heaters have been used for decades as a viable backup source of emergency heat, but they do not come without their own unique hazards. NASD (National Ag Safety Database) has a complete list of safety procedures for the use of kerosene heaters including operating the heater in a room with an open door to the rest of the house. If that is not possible, make sure to open a window about an inch in the room where the heater is set up to allow the venting of fumes and pollutants generated by the heater. Always follow manufacturer’s instructions and make certain the adjustable wick is set properly. And always follow manufacturers recommend cleaning and maintenance instructions.
Portable propane heaters are a popular source of heat both indoors and outdoors, but it is important to realize that those two types of heaters are not interchangeable. Outdoor heaters should never be used indoors because they lack an oxygen switch that monitors the level of carbon monoxide these types of heaters generate. Outdoor heaters are designed to be used in open air settings with the assumption that byproducts of the flames, such as smoke and carbon monoxide, will be vented away. Indoor gas heaters are manufactured with an oxygen switch that monitors the byproduct gases and will shut the heater off if those levels approach an unacceptable limit.
The watchwords for any secondary sources of heat are safety and preparation. Examine fireplaces and wood burning stoves before they are needed, or better yet have a professional check them out in early fall before the weather turns cold. Have kerosene heaters serviced by professionals to determine they are in proper working order and never use anything except clear kerosene as a fuel source. And check the specifications on any existing gas heaters or those that might be purchased to determine if they are rated for indoor use.
Contact the writer at charles@cartercountytimes.com
