MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) – Alabamians will soon be firing up their furnaces, meaning more business for heating and air companies.
“We do a lot of furnace tuneups,” said Will Imbusch with Bill Bradley Services in Montgomery.
He said routine unit checkups not only help heaters last longer, but they can protect homeowners.
“A big thing we tell people is carbon monoxide can seep into your homes, and lots of times you don’t even know it,” Imbusch said
Older models can have more issues. Those heaters can rust and become brittle over the years.
“Once the rust cracks through and you get a crack in the heat exchanger, that’s when your furnace could be dangerous,” Imbusch said
A simple inspection can help prevent these problems. Bill Bradley Services recommends homeowners change their carbon monoxide meters every two years and their filters every three to four months.
For those interested in getting a new heater, President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act has some tax incentives. It allows those switching to a heat pump to save up to $8,000.
When it comes to fireplaces, people should have an annual inspection to prevent any chimney buildup.
“So that when we’re using that appliance, that everything is going up and out like it’s designed to,” said State Fire Marshal Scott Pilgreen.
The fire official stressed the need to only use appliances as intended, keep space heaters away from flammable objects, and to have working smoke alarms as well as an evacuation plan.
“These are preventable,” Pilgreen said. “And it comes back to what we as people do to ourselves. So we as people have got to address it.”
The state fire marshal added about 95 people die in fire-related accidents each year. So far in 2022, there have been about 75 deaths.
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