With temperatures expected to drop this weekend, the Lubbock Fire Department gave KLBK and EverythingLubbock.com safety tips when starting the heater for the first time of the season. 

“Number one is cleanliness,” Lubbock Fire Department Division Chief Steve Holland said. “Because even if you have an air conditioner that’s been running and it’s been collecting dust and lent and stuff in your filter.”
 
Once the leftover dirt is wiped away, Holland recommends then clearing out all other storage that may be left in that closet.
 
“We’ve seen where people just stack a number of things in their heater closet,” Holland said. “Those do put off some radiant heat even though a lot of it is going into the burner box.”
 
The last step for preventative measures is to check for any gas leaks or unusual smells.
 
“Could be a strong possibility of carbon monoxide poisoning if that burner box is cracked,” Holland said. “Or if it’s not adjusted right, or the flew the vent going out the roof maybe has been knocked loose, you had some roofing done. I mean there’s a number of things that could happen that would cause the carbon monoxide to actually stay in your house instead of going out into the atmosphere like it should.”
 
“Go with your gut,” Lowery Pluming, Heating, and Air Conditioning Operations Manager Mark Branscone said. “Go with the natural things. If it looks ok, it might be alright but you can start there. If you smell something burning, something that is abnormal, turn off the system.”
 
Branscone said making small adjustments throughout the season can prevent an expensive headache later.

“Making sure that a professional comes and tune ups, check ups, on a regular basis probably at the very minimum annually need to get that done,” Branscone said. “Probably the one thing a homeowner can do that will save them not only energy but costs later for repairs and things like that is just change out their filter or at least clean it if it’s a cleanable filter because sometimes they’re not.”

Lubbock Fire also offers a free testing service, where they will come to a resident and personally test for any damages or carbon monoxide. They can be reached at 806-765-5757.