If you have a gas heater at home then this can provide welcome relief from those colder evenings. Falling asleep in a warm room is perfect but many people really hate to wake up, and find that the warm air has gone, and they are cold. There is of course a temptation here to leave that gas heater on overnight, but this may not be the smartest move.
In fact fire equipment services often raise this subject when they are discussing fire safety, and they recommend that if you do have a gas heater at home, that you switch it off before you go to bed.
Safety Measures
Many people think that leaving the fire on overnight will be fine because of the fact that the gas fires have safety measures built in to prevent any kind of fire. This may be true but you are putting an awful lot of faith into the success of those measures, should you leave the fire on all night.
Risk of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
The first risk which many think of here is that of fire, which is why they confide in the safety measures which the manufacturer has put in place. There is however an additional risk of carbon monoxide poisoning from the fire, as it emits this gas slowly as it burns. Whenever you have a fire on you should always ensure that you have air ducts or a door open, in order to allow the carbon monoxide to leave the room. Most however fail to do this and that is why this can be so dangerous. Carbon monoxide cannot be seen, tasted or smelled, and that is what makes it so dangerous.
Fire Risks
Companies who sell fire safety equipment and who advise on risks around the home, certainly don’t condone leaving your fire on all night. The two risks here are having items which are within a meter of the fireplace, which can heat up and potentially combust. The second risk which is the cause of many fires, is that the flues or chimneys are blocked, which results in backwards airflow. This again can pose great dangers to you as you sleep.
One of the biggest risks here is that should something happen and a fire start, you will not be in a position to do anything about it. If you spot a fire early and take action then you can minimize the spread and the damage. If however you are asleep then you are not going to know about the fire until it is too late.
Ultimately nobody wants to wake up in a cold room, but that is not a reason to put your life at risk. The smart decision if you do require heating is to use a central system such as a reverse cycle air conditioner. This will help to circulate the warm air and ensure that you wake up warm and toasty, without any risk.
