Check that furnace! (And the woodstove)

Groan. I just spent the better part of the weekend — and big chunk of my Christmas fun-money — wrestling with a malfunctioning furnace.

The heroic heating-plumbing guy who showed up at 9pm on a Saturday night and battled the problem until 3am kept the disgust out of his voice as best he could.

But let’s face it. I’m a dope. We bought this furnace two years ago and haven’t had it cleaned or serviced since.

After watching a plume of flame and smoke billow out, I’m a convert.

And I was lucky. The newspapers are full this time of year with stories about houses and lives going up in smoke. This from today’s Glens Falls Post-Star.

The house fire is the fifth in the area this month.

On Dec. 17, a woodstove fire destroyed a three-story apartment in Corinth. On Dec. 12, a family of eight was displaced from their Argyle home after an electrical fire.

On Dec. 10, a Queensbury home was damaged after a fire broke out near a woodstove, displacing a family of six. And on Dec. 6, a Greenwich family of four lost their home and their puppy to a fire.

Tyler said old Christmas lights on broken wires, dried out Christmas trees, space heaters and overloaded outlets are all common fire hazards.

And this from Sunday’s Press-Republican.

When Stacey Dunn returned to her 3967 Route 11 home early Saturday morning, she was shocked to find flames erupting inside.

The mother of two called 911 and safely escaped her burning farmhouse as more than two dozen volunteers from the Malone and Constable fire departments geared up for the 1:30 a.m. emergency.

So…I know it’s a hassle, and not always cheap.

But trust me. If you haven’t had your heating system serviced this winter yet, it’s time.

As an extra incentive, you’re all welcome to mock my foolishness in the comment section below…but only if you’ve done your own family’s due diligence.

One last footnote: The thing that clued me in that the furnace was malfunctioning? My carbon monoxide alarm.

So while you’re checking your heating system, why not do a battery test on your fire and smoke alarms?