Spring Cleaning Around the Home
Spring Cleaning This time of year is a good time to take a good look at your housekeeping habits in and around your storage areas.
Start with the boiler area or furnace room.
Remove any newspapers, paint cans, toys or other combustibles that have gathered in there over a winters time.
Never store anything at all in a furnace/boiler room.
A flash back from the boiler or hot water heater can quickly turn a simple smoke problem into a blazing inferno due to the combustible fuel placed in the room.
It is very easy to say "I'll just put it in here until I go to landfill" and then it sits in there for months.
There should be no storage in the boiler room at all!!! Make sure your boiler or furnace rooms fresh air vents are free and clear of debris, cobwebs, etc.
If your boiler also supplies your hot water, the unit will run year round so year round maintenance is required.
If you do not know when your chimney was last cleaned, have it done now.
Summer months are the cheapest time for this work to be done.
Don't try in October when chimney sweeps are the busiest.
Inside and outside stairs are the next thing to check.
Make sure steps/treads are clear of small items that gather there creating a potential tripping hazard.
Bottles, cans, clothes, toys, etc.
are all a hazard and can create a serious fall.
Make sure handrails are in good condition with no protruding nails or screws and all handrail brackets are tight.
Check light bulbs to assure stairways are well lit.
Check carpeted stairs to assure there are no loose areas or bulges that may cause a trip and fall.
Garages are always a gathering place for excess newspaper stacks, gas cans, barbeque propane tanks, oily rags, car batteries and other combustible items.
Take some time one weekend and clean these things out.
There always seems to be loose papers or receipts that have fallen from the cars or trunks so a good sweeping cant hurt either.
Removing these hazards properly means you will have a much safer home or workplace.
Pete Your Friendly Building Inspector http://www.
Wagsys.
com BICES-Building Inspection & Code Enforcement System
Start with the boiler area or furnace room.
Remove any newspapers, paint cans, toys or other combustibles that have gathered in there over a winters time.
Never store anything at all in a furnace/boiler room.
A flash back from the boiler or hot water heater can quickly turn a simple smoke problem into a blazing inferno due to the combustible fuel placed in the room.
It is very easy to say "I'll just put it in here until I go to landfill" and then it sits in there for months.
There should be no storage in the boiler room at all!!! Make sure your boiler or furnace rooms fresh air vents are free and clear of debris, cobwebs, etc.
If your boiler also supplies your hot water, the unit will run year round so year round maintenance is required.
If you do not know when your chimney was last cleaned, have it done now.
Summer months are the cheapest time for this work to be done.
Don't try in October when chimney sweeps are the busiest.
Inside and outside stairs are the next thing to check.
Make sure steps/treads are clear of small items that gather there creating a potential tripping hazard.
Bottles, cans, clothes, toys, etc.
are all a hazard and can create a serious fall.
Make sure handrails are in good condition with no protruding nails or screws and all handrail brackets are tight.
Check light bulbs to assure stairways are well lit.
Check carpeted stairs to assure there are no loose areas or bulges that may cause a trip and fall.
Garages are always a gathering place for excess newspaper stacks, gas cans, barbeque propane tanks, oily rags, car batteries and other combustible items.
Take some time one weekend and clean these things out.
There always seems to be loose papers or receipts that have fallen from the cars or trunks so a good sweeping cant hurt either.
Removing these hazards properly means you will have a much safer home or workplace.
Pete Your Friendly Building Inspector http://www.
Wagsys.
com BICES-Building Inspection & Code Enforcement System
Source...