Safety at home is a year-round concern, but ensuring winter home safety is particularly critical. Statistics indicate that winter’s a more hazardous time around the house. First, cold weather tends to keep people indoors so you’re at home more hours per day than in summer. Second, data shows that certain hazards such as house fires are far more common during winter.
To avoid adding to the statistics at this time of year, keep these winter home safety tips in mind.
- Maintain the furnace. Proper furnace maintenance reduces the incidence of two critical safety issues: fire and carbon monoxide poisoning. An annual furnace tune-up by a qualified professional is the definitive way to make sure your furnace is safe to operate this year. (It’s also required by most furnace manufacturer’s warranty terms.) If you haven’t done so yet, schedule a service call with a qualified HVAC technician. On the DIY side, make sure you check the furnace air filter monthly for accumulation of dust and dirt. Change it at least every other month.
- Test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. These units should be tested every month by pressing the “Test” button on the face of the unit to verify that the alarm works. Batteries should be replaced twice a year — the annual change between daylight savings time and standard time and back again in spring are good reminders to install fresh batteries.
- Have your chimney checked. If you use a wood-burning fireplace during winter, it needs a yearly inspection to ensure that the chimney draft is adequate to remove smoke and fumes and there’s no accumulation of flammable creosote inside the chimney — a frequent cause of house fires.
- Take care with space heaters. Electric space heaters are often utilized to augment furnace heat. Don’t purchase any unit that lacks a safety label issued by a recognized testing laboratory. Check heater for cracked or broken heating elements or frayed, worn power cords. Never leave the room or go to sleep with a space heater running.
Promoting winter home safety and indoor comfort since 1922, contact Paitson Bros. for qualified heating sales and service.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Terre Haute, Indiana about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about safety precautions and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 812-645-6859.
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Jeff Paitson is a third generation business owner who continues to run the business with the same values that have been passed down from previous generations since 1922.
Jeff’s belief is that the business belongs to Jesus Christ; therefore 10 percent of the company’s profits go toward the Maryland Community Church.
Jeff is a Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce member and in his spare time, he enjoys 
Ethan Rayburn is a lifelong resident of Terre Haute and a 2005 graduate of Purdue University.
An Eagle Scout, Ethan spent four years as a non-profit executive with the Boy Scouts of America before joining Paitson Bros. as a comfort advisor and later General Manager. In that role, Ethan has brought a renewed enthusiasm for customer care, integrity, value, and service to Paitson Bros. Heating & Air Conditioning.
Ethan enjoys singing and was a member of the Purdue Varsity Glee Club. He also enjoys playing and coaching soccer, spending time with his family and two young boys, and volunteering his time and resources with his church, Terre Haute First Baptist Church, which he has attended from a very young age.
Paitson Bros
1 (812) 232-2347
Serving the Wabash Valley, IN Area Since 1922