It's time to get your heaters checked for maintenance

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The chill in the air has people reaching for their thermostats, keeping Comfort Pro Heating and Cooling busy.

"It's picked up quite a bit in the last few weeks. People are turning on their heaters, getting strange smells from them, wanting that to be checked out. And general clean up," said Mitchell Tatarakis of Comfort Pro Heating and Cooling.

One maintenance point is changing the filter in your furnace or heating unit.

Some people were doing that at Fresno Ag Hardware on Wednesday afternoon.

"What we tell people is it's 90 days of use, so if you're only turning that thing on once or twice a week, you can extend the life out of it. But every 90 days you want to take a look at it," said Ian Williams, C.O.O. of Fresno Ag Hardware.

The store is also stocked up on space heaters.

"If you don't want to heat the whole house or a whole section of the house, you could just put one in your room," said Williams.

However, the Fresno Fire Department is reminding people to use them safely.

"You want to make sure you keep it 36 inches or 3 feet away from anything that could catch fire, so don't have it right up against your bed. If you're sitting on the couch, make sure it's a safe distance away from anything that can catch fire," said Josh Sellers from the Fresno Fire Department.

He says you also want to ensure the heating unit has a label proving it's been tested and approved. Also, check that it has a sensor that shuts off the unit if it is tipped over.

Fire safety also extends to your furnace. If it's ever smoking, you should shut it off and call 911.

Getting those heaters checked out doesn't need to break the bank.

"We've teamed up with a third party to provide free heater inspections. Through PG&E -- just provide your PG&E bill, and we do a comprehensive heating tune-up and a full house energy efficiency audit," said Tatarakis.

You can call Comfort Pro Heating and Cooling to make an appointment.

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