TYLER, Texas (KETK) – Wednesday was the coldest night East Texas has had since the spring, with many heaters and fireplaces turning on for the first time this season.
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As East Texas enters the cooler months it’s important to check air conditioning and heating appliances sooner rather than later.
Many homeowners may start to smell a burning odor, HVAC specialist Joshua Templin with C&R Heating and Cooling said this isn’t anything abnormal. But Templin said if the odor lingers too long it could be a sign that dander is heating up or an appliance is malfunctioning.
For those that use a traditional wood burning fireplace, it is recommended to have a protective screen, keeping embers from drifting out to your living room. Robert Sweeney has been in the chimney sweep business here in East Texas since he was 25.
“Sometimes embers pop and land on your carpet,” Sweeney said. “So you need a screen to protect yourself.”
If your fire does get our of hand, here’s what he recommends, “Its called a Smoke Guard, its a stick, you throw it in your fireplace and it’ll put your fire out in the fireplace. If you do have a chimney fire, that smothers it,” Sweeney said.
Preparations for winter should start well before the temperatures drop. Templin recommends preventative maintainence on your heating unit twice a year once before and once after winter. He also urged homeowners that now is the time to change air filters and carbon monoxide detectors.
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