PG&E Warns North Bay Customers About Home Heating Hazards

From PG&E: With freeze warnings in the forecast Thursday night and Friday across the North Bay, Pacific Gas & Electric Company is urging customers to be cautious when heating their homes.

Electric heating devices, such as space heaters, are a home fire hazard when not properly used or monitored. Fuel-burning appliances, such as gas furnaces, stoves and water heaters, can increase the risk of carbon monoxide, a toxic gas, when they are not working properly.

“We want our customers to be warm this winter, but most importantly we want them to be safe. High levels of carbon monoxide can be generated by appliances that are defective or improperly installed or maintained. That is why it’s very important to have your gas appliances checked before every winter to ensure they are working properly,” said Dave Canny, senior manager for PG&E’s North Bay & Sonoma Divisions.

PG&E encourages customers to schedule free gas appliance safety checks through the company’s customer service helpline at 1-800-743-5000. Our Gas Service Representatives will test carbon monoxide detector batteries and expiration dates, relight furnace pilots, and check gas stoves, fireplaces and water heaters at no cost to the customer.

ALSO SEE: Freeze Warning, Hazardous Weather Outlook Issued For North Bay

According to the National Fire Protection Association, heating equipment is the second leading cause of home fires in the United States. Nearly half of these fires occur from December through February. The leading contributing factors to space heater fires are heating equipment too close to objects that can burn, such as furniture, clothing, mattresses or bedding, and leaving heating equipment unattended.

PG&E urges customers to focus on safely heating their homes as temperatures dip and offers the following tips:

• Place space heaters on level, hard, nonflammable surfaces, not on rugs or carpets.
• Don’t put objects on space heaters or use them to dry clothes or shoes.
• Turn off space heaters when leaving the room or going to sleep.
• Keep all flammable materials at least three feet away from heating sources and supervise children when a space heater or fireplace is being used.
• Never use cooking devices such as ovens or stoves for home heating purposes.
• Install carbon monoxide detectors to warn you if concentration levels are high. As of 2011, all California single-family homes are required to have carbon monoxide detectors. Make sure they are installed near sleeping areas and replace the batteries at least twice a year.
• When using the fireplace to stay warm, make sure the flue is open so that the byproducts of combustion can vent safely through the chimney.
• Never use products inside the home that generate dangerous levels of carbon monoxide, such as generators, barbecues, propane heaters and charcoal.

If customers suspect there is a problem with a natural gas appliance inside their home, they should call PG&E at 1-800-743-5000. A gas service representative will be dispatched to do a thorough inspection. If you detect carbon monoxide in your home, you should get out immediately and call 911.

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