Can You Leave Your Space Heater On All Night? (Best Safety Tips)

Source: DHgate, Tag: Home Garden

A space heater is a great way to keep your home warm during winter. But is it safe to keep space heaters on overnight?

• A space heater is one of the essential needs for every home, especially for homes that experience cold winters. If you live in regions where the weather is very cold, the chances are that space heaters will be built together with every home.
  Everyone should own one in their home to keep them warm during the winter season. These devices come in different and improved technology suitable for indoors and outdoors use. You can use a space heater in your home, office, and car; every space heater is made specifically for a different purpose. This portable device is perfect for warming up a small room or space where a central heating system can’t be coupled for indoor use like your room.

• But when these devices are essential, There are some important tips that one must be mindful of when using a heater. Especially if you have kids or pets around your home, you have to be always mindful of where you keep the space heater, and also, you have to ensure that the kids and pets are kept away from where you keep the space heater.
  There are many reasons why you should not use a space heater at night while sleeping. However, there are space heaters that have been built to suit such conditions, with many features that will help you manage the temperature of the heat and many other components of the heater. Some manufacturers have added an auto switch that switches off the space heater to reach a certain temperature. Some will automatically switch off once the device detects any displacement.
  But in general, you should avoid using the space heater while sleeping because even if you are using a highly technical device, you do not have any control over what happens in your home while you are asleep, especially when you have pets and kids in your home.
  Reasons why you should avoid leaving a space heater on all night
  They can cause fire
  A space heater is a heating component that can result in hazards like fire. One of the causes of home fire during the winter period is the space heater, which is because, during this time, they are one of the most used equipment in the house. The best solution is for you to warm your room for some hours before going to bed. That way, you will feel the warmth till you sleep, and if your home is well covered, your room might be able to retain that warmth over a long period. But ensure that you turn off the space heater before going off to sleep.
  They dry out the skin
  During the winter, it becomes more difficult to avoid dry skin. Even when you are using a lot of moisturizers, at times, you could still feel the dryness within a short period. Why the weather can be responsible for it, another cause of dry skin is the heater. Each time the mercury drops while heating the room all day, this heating system can strip off the moisture on the skin and result in dry skin. Dry skin can result in many other issues when the skin starts cracking. When you notice that your skin is becoming dry, you need to start using your space heater sparingly. Therefore, using the heater over the night is something you should avoid; that will mean using it for over ten hours a day is a heavy sleeper.
  Emission of carbon monoxide
  One of the scary aspects of space heaters is the fire hazard; people try their best to make sure that they avoid any fire hazard while using the space heater in their home. But at times, it is difficult to point out where you go wrong after taking all the needed precautions to ensure that you do not make any mistakes.
  While avoiding the fire hazard, you must also not forget the impact of carbon monoxide poising. Like many other electronic devices, the space heater is a good example of another electronic with a chemical emission. And suppose you are using your space heater over the night. In that case, the possibility of getting carbon monoxide poisoning is high.
  Symptoms of carbon monoxide poising:

  1. Short of breath

  2. Weakness

  3. Headache

  4. Dizziness

  5. Nauseated

  6. Vomiting

  7. Blurred vision

• The moment you start feeling any of these symptoms, step outside your home or space, take a deep breath and turn off the space heater.
  6 Safety precautions when using space heaters
  Space heaters, for all their good use, have their issues that you need to be aware of, but there are some safety precautions that you can put in place to ensure that you use them safely; the following are the safety tips:

  1. As mentioned earlier, if you have kids or pets around you, keep them away from hot surfaces such as your electric heater.

  2. Note that putting a space heater on any surface with inflammable materials like paper and wood can be hazardous due to heat generated from the device; it can act as fuel for the fire. No matter the surface you are putting your electric heater on, make sure you turn it off when it’s not used.

  3. Although some home furniture is made with fire retardant properties, they are not that strong enough at combating fires. Ensure that there is enough space between inflammable materials close to where you put your space heater to avoid it getting hot and triggering the fire.

  4. In case you observe that spark or smoke from the vents of your electric heater, switch it off and disconnect instantly. A spark or smoke signifies that the wire or appliance is overheated and can result in fire.

  5. Make sure that you turn off your device when leaving the room, even for 60 seconds. If you are cooking with a stove gas while the device is on, make sure you are off the stove, too, if you are stepping out of the area.

  6. If your device is an electric corded heater, ensure no air obstruction around the device because any obstruction can lower the ventilation necessary to maintain the temperature in the room.

• The dos and don’ts while using a space heater
  Avoid leaving a Space Heater on if not needed
  One way you can ensure safety is never to leave the safe heater on when it’s not needed. If you are rushing out of your room, make sure that it’s turned off, or when there is no one in the room to check it when you are not around. Turning off is not only when you are leaving your home, even if you are going to the restroom to pee or going to your kitchen to get some water; always turn it off when you are leaving the room.
  If you are in the room with your kids or pets, don’t assume that you won’t spend much time in the kitchen and leave them alone with the heater turned on. Don’t let your kids near your unit even when it’s not connected. This is to prevent an electric accident. Also, try not to leave your device working overnight; this might result in overheating, exploding the fuse when you are in the dreamland, which can lead to fire accidents.
  To avoid this, before going to bed, turn off your heater, or you can buy modern devices with automatic timers. This will help you set the time for your device to turn off when not in use.
  Avoid using Extension Cable
  Instead of using an extension cable to plug your device, plug it directly in the socket; the space heater must have enough space for ventilation. To do him, place the device a few meters away from the wall where the mouth is located, and place the heater in a less crowded or stuffy corner.
  Also, avoid plugging other devices in the same socket to prevent overload or overheating. Please don’t place the cable under furniture such as cabinet or couch, including putting it in a rug. This is to prevent anyone from stumbling or tripping over the wires so it won’t lead to a fire accident.
  Ensure to Keep your Heater away from moisture
  Keep your space heater from humid areas or water. For example, your bathroom is one of the coldest areas in your home; taking your bath can be uninspiring due to the cold. The first thing that comes to your mind is to place a heater in the bathroom to warm the place up, but water and electricity can result in an unpleasant outcome. As an electric heater, placing a space heater close to a water source or moist and confined space is highly risky. Except your device is built to manage a case like this, although some devices are built that way, it’s highly unsafe to couple a heater in your bathroom.
  Instead of using an electric heater to warm your bathroom, set your shower on hottest before stepping into the bathroom.
  7 Basic things you should know about space heater

  1. Please don’t leave your heater unattended: you must ensure you switch off the heater before going to sleep. You easily warm up your room and switch it off before sleeping, which should be your rule of thumb.

  2. Keep your kids and pet away from your heater: kids and pets are a very strong example of displacing things and playing with everything. Ensure to keep them away from the space heater, and make sure that you unplug them when it is not in use.

  3. Be careful where you plug the heater: many people plug their space heater into an extension or a socket that cannot handle the heat. Note that you should only plug the space heater into a direct socket. You can easily make a strong socket for your heater once you know where you would like to plug it into.

  4. Ensure that you keep at least a 3-foot perimeter of the heater unit clear: it is a heater, so it is important to understand that a space heater heats things, which can lead to fire out bust if not carefully handled. Do not keep clothes, curtains, your bed, or furniture close to the space heater. Please do not cover the cord or put any substance on it. Many people think the space heater is a dryer, and it is not, therefore keep your towel away from your space heater.

  5. Maintain and inspect: the space heater has its season; sure, it is not used throughout the year unless you live in Iceland. So when you bring it out for use, ensure that you check it and confirm that it is in good shape. Ensure that the wire has not pilled off, and make sure that the top is not hot when it is in operation; that indicates that the space heater is having a problem.

  6. Only use sparingly: continuous use of space heater can result in dizziness, headache, etc., so you should control the usage of your space heater to avoid the impact of carbon monoxide.

  7. Only buy what you need: don’t buy a big space heater because you feel you might need it once you move from a smaller space. There are many reasons why you should only buy what best suits the space you want to use. Buying an oversized space heater can result in hazards like fire.

FAQ
Should I leave the space heater on overnight?
Yes, you can leave the heater switched on overnight, especially if you are using a device that can switch off itself when the temperature has gotten to a particular pre-set level. However, it is advantageous that you ensure that you switch off the space heater before sleeping, for many reasons, one of which is a fire hazard and health reasons.
What type of safety measure can you use to prevent heaters from causing dry skin?
One of the best measures is to use the space heater sparingly; continuous use of the heater may result in the peeling off of the moisture on the skin. Furthermore, using the heater overnight will only increase the chances of the heater resulting in dry skin.
What is the best space heater to use?
There is no bad or best heater out rightly, and it depends on what and where you are using it for. But it is better to have a space heater that is not overly big than the space you are using it for, and also best to consider your space before buying one.