Residents should prepare heaters before temperatures dip

Oct. 25—With the weather expected to cool down near the weekend, it's a good time for residents to make sure their heaters are ready to go.

Officials with the St. Joseph Fire Department say that along with cooking, fires from heating sources are the most common around this time of year, which often includes fires that start from furnaces and fireplaces.

"When you are running your air conditioning, there is a lot of humidity running through the gas furnace," said Steve Henrichson, St. Joseph fire inspector. "It has nothing to do with the gas furnace, but it is still affecting the gas furnace, because humidity is water, water vapor can lead to rust, rust on the heat exchanger, rust on any components that are inside of the furnace itself."

Henrichson said those who haven't should do a maintenance check on their gas or oil furnaces to make sure there are no existing issues.

"Carbon monoxide detectors are important in houses that have gas appliances, especially a forced air gas appliance," he said.

Officials say a general service call to have your furnace burner checked out can be as low as $35, but the cost of repairs varies depending on what needs to be fixed. If there's an issue with a heat exchanger, for example, it's recommended that it be replaced, not fixed.

"If we get to a point that it is that high, in the $2,000 range and the equipment is about 10 years or older, we recommend a replacement of the equipment," Henrichson said.

Experts are also reminding people to keep anything that is flammable at least 3 feet away from heating equipment, such as portable space heaters, fireplaces and furnaces. Furniture, drapes and electronics are the most common things people leave near heating equipment.

Jenna Wilson can be reached at jenna.wilson@newspressnow.com.