Space heaters are a great way to warm up a room without heating up your entire house. But you should be aware of the dangers. And know a few safety principles.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that space heater were involved in an average of 1,700 fires per year, resulting in an average of 70 deaths and 160 injuries annually from 2017 to 2019.
Jon Radulovic who serves on the Family-Patient Advisory Council for Sentara Northern Virginia. He advises, “it’s always helpful to reinforce some of the basic safety concerns.” Chief among those concerns: “Remember these devices should only be operated by adults, never by children,” Radulovic says. Also, never leave a space heater on when you’re leaving a room or your house. And always put the space heater flat on the floor, never on the furniture.
Electric heaters
Perhaps a little less obvious: Always plug an electric space heater directly into the wall. Don’t use an extension cord or a power strip, Radulovic says. And always unplug it as well as turning it off when you leave the room.
Space heaters should always have an open 3-foot radius of space around them. They should be placed away from flammable items such as draperies, furniture, or books. And they shouldn’t go in a heavy traffic area of the household.
Radulovic also passed along that you should never use a space heater in a garage or a workshop, where you might have flammable materials or matches stored. And they should not be used in bathrooms.
Radulovic also says to make sure any space heater you buy has been approved by one of the major safety certification organizations. Look for the UL mark, the Intertek EL label, or approval from the CSA Group.
That may seem obvious, but in the age of online shopping, Radulovic says it’s not as easy as it seems. “You might be getting devices that are made in China or somewhere that don’t have the standards. And you might not know it. You need to be really careful.”
Kerosene heaters
Kerosene space heaters can also work well, but Radulovic says they come with their own set of potential hazards. In addition to the rules for electric heaters, kerosene heaters shouldn’t be refilled inside the house. Some have a fuel tank that can be detached and filled separately, which makes that easier. But in either case, you want to make sure your heater has cooled down before you refill it.
And you need to make sure there’s plenty of ventilation. “Not only can there be noxious kerosene fumes,” Radulovic says, “but the way those heaters work, they burn oxygen and they’re putting out carbon dioxide. So you want to make sure that you’re not getting carbon dioxide back in your room at an unsafe level.”
You don’t want to store the kerosene inside your house either. And don’t store it close to any other devices or appliances that might heat up while they’re in use.
And if you start to feel dizzy or nauseous, or start to have headaches, “Turn that heater off and then seek some medical help,” Radulovic says.
Feature image courtesy Loudoun Career Fire Fighters Association – IAFF Local 3756
