Fall is a good time to make sure your furnace and chimneys are in proper working condition.

Fall is a good time to make sure your furnace and chimneys are in proper working condition.

Kent RFA offers fall weather heating safety tips

Fall is officially here and seasons are changing. Leaves are turning, days are shorter and the nights are getting a little chilly.

  • BY Wire Service
  • Thursday, September 22, 2016 2:15pm
  • News

Fall is officially here and seasons are changing. Leaves are turning, days are shorter and the nights are getting a little chilly.

One of the things that happens when the weather turns colder is that home heating systems come on for the first time since last winter.

Here are some tips from the Kent Regional Fire Authority that will help protect your family as we transition into the fall and winter seasons:

• Have your furnace system inspected and serviced by a licensed professional. This should include looking at the exhaust vent that leads to the outside of the house. Insects, birds and other animals can create blockages that can force carbon monoxide from gas furnaces back into the home.

• Have chimney and wood stove flues inspected for creosote buildup which can limit the escape of smoke and can lead to a chimney fire.

• Dispose of fireplace ashes properly by placing them in a tightly sealed metal container. Do not store the container near combustibles such as a deck, house or fence. Hot coals in ashes can retain their heat for several days after being removed and should never be stored in a paper or plastic bag.

• Move combustibles such as clothing, bedding and drapes away from baseboard and other electric heaters.

• Plug portable heaters directly into wall outlets. Using extension cords can lead to overheating and fires.

• Also remember to having working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in your home. Change the batteries when you change your clocks to standard time on Sunday, Nov. 6.


Talk to us

Please share your story tips by emailing editor@kentreporter.com.

To share your opinion for publication, submit a letter through our website https://www.kentreporter.com/submit-letter/. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. (We’ll only publish your name and hometown.) Please keep letters to 300 words or less.

More in News

t
SeaTac man, 21, fatally shot in vehicle in Kent on West Hill

Someone ran up and fired multiple shots into vehicle Nov. 21 at Veterans Drive and Military Road

Kentwood High School, 25800 164th Ave. SE, in Covington, remained without power Thursday morning, Nov. 21, according to Puget Sound Energy. COURTESY PHOTO, Kent School District
Kent schools remain closed due to windstorm damage, power outages

Second consecutive day of closures Thursday, Nov. 21 across the Kent School District

t
Kent-based Puget Sound Fire calls windstorm ‘one for the ages’

Agency responds to 308 calls in 12-hour period, including 245 for storm-related issues

Crews clear trees from State Route 18, which the Washington State Patrol closed in both directions Wednesday, Nov. 20, from Issaquah Hobart to I-90 over Tiger Mountain because of fallen trees during a windstorm. COURTESY PHOTO, Washington State Patrol
Windstorm closes Kent schools, roads due to fallen trees

Many without power in areas of Kent and beyond

t
“Prolific” vehicular theft suspect arrested in Renton

Kent man holds 13 prior convictions and 41 arrests.

tt
Green Kent volunteer program wraps up season at city park

Volunteers remove invasive species, plant native trees and shrubs at Mill Creek Canyon Earthworks Park

t
Copper-wire thieves damage Kent Senior Center roof refrigeration unit

Facility temporarily loses commercial kitchen refrigerator but staff, community keep meals going

t
16-year-old girl dies in Covington single-car crash

Teen was driving when car crashed into a tree Nov. 15 along SE 256th Street just east of Kent

t
Kent Police Blotter: Oct. 24-Nov. 7

Incidents include carjacking, juvenile fight, stolen vehicle pursuit

t
State Patrol catches a pair of motorcycles going over 100 mph on I-5

See a video of their arrest. Agency uses air surveillance to pursue from Federal Way to Renton

Photos by Bailey Jo Josie/Sound Publishing
Official ribbon cutting for the Kent Valley Bezos Academy, which is still accepting applications for the 2024-2025 school year.
Kent Valley Bezos Academy offers student-driven preschool experience

New school offers free enrollment to children of income-eligible families