Propane Safety: Protect Your Home In Winter Storms

FOLLOW THESE FIVE TIPS

propane safety during winter stormsAs you know, winter weather can, at times, rear its ugly head in southern New Jersey. Whether it brings snowstorms, ice storms or bitter cold, that weather can also be dangerous.

That’s why practicing proper propane safety is essential to keeping your home and family safe in bad winter weather. We’ve put together five tips to help should winter prove to be a bit more troublesome than last year.

5 Storm Safety With Propane Tips

  1. Monitor your propane tank gauge. Don’t let your propane tank get below 25 percent before contacting Blue Flame to schedule a propane delivery. You should have a week’s supply of propane in the event of severe weather. By the way, now would be a good time to enroll in our Automatic Delivery, or our Tank Monitoring!
  2. Be safe when it comes to carbon monoxide. You need to have carbon monoxide detectors on every level of your home, if not outside all bedrooms. Test them and replace the batteries. If your CO detectors are five years old or older, you need to replace them. We also urge you to install propane leak detectors to protect against odor loss in the unlikely event of a propane leak.
  3. Prepare your generator. If you have a propane whole house backup generator, you need to make sure you have enough propane in its tank to last at least a week if you lose power. You also need to give it a test run every month, running it for at least 20 minutes so moving parts stay lubricated and you can check for any problems.
  4. Use propane appliances correctly. If you’re using a portable propane generator, NEVER use it indoors or in a covered area like a three-season porch or garage. That rule also goes for propane grills and any other outdoor propane appliances. By the way, propane cylinders need to be stored outside and not in garages, sunporches or carports. Your propane stove or oven must not be used for indoor heating.
  5. Protect your home in bad weather. Keep chimneys, flues and vents, and the areas around them, clear of snow, ice and debris. This is to prevent carbon monoxide buildup in your home. You also need to clear snow off of your propane tank and regulators, piping, tubes, vents and valves. Use a broom for this because shovels may damage the tank and the parts. Make sure your driveway is cleared wide enough for Blue Flame delivery trucks to use, and that there is a clear and safe path to the propane tank.

Blue Flame is the reliable, safe propane delivery company you can count on all year long. Become a customer today and experience the difference!