Experts give safety tips regarding reigniting heaters

With record cold fronts this week, some are now turning on their heaters for the first time in a while.

Turning the heaters on, many have discovered a faint burning smell in the air. That’s because they haven’t turned on the heating system in quite some time and possibly years, but don’t be alarmed. In most cases, it’s normal.

This cold weather has caused many people to bundle up in their jackets and hats, including new resident Jimmy Melton, who recently moved to Fort Myers.

He was walking downtown in the cold, not too thrilled about the chill.

“Stay out of the wind and out of [the] cold if you can. I’m only walking because my doctor said I have to walk two miles a day so he better appreciate this,” Melton said.

Melton advises everyone to bundle up in layers.

“Long underwear, that is the secret, and I believe Dollar General still sells them,” Melton said.

Turning on your heater for the first time in a while may set off a few alarms, but it’s nothing to be concerned about.

WINK News Reporter Jolena Esperto spoke with Air Express Havoc Contractor Cainna Williamson about the concern with the alarms.

“We’ve gotten a lot of service calls where smoke detectors go off or gotten a strange smell. It is just from not being used, just burning off when it first starts up,” Williamson said.

Now, this cold snap is going to last a few more days, with the low expected to be in the upper 30s on Saturday morning. By the afternoon, we should see some sunny skies with a high in the 70s.