Simple answer, you should not place anything in front of your heater as it is not safe; this includes any kind of furniture, drapes, paper, bedding, and people.
Twelve inches or more is a generally recommended distance between furniture and electric heaters.
If they're electric, you want to keep anything potentially combustible several inches away to avoid a fire hazard. Hot water or steam can get quite warm (not to combustion temperatures), but might damage fine furniture or warp plastics if they are too close.
Safe Distance: Keep space heaters at least 3 feet away from any furniture or flammable materials. Stable Surface: Place space heaters on a flat, stable surface to prevent tipping.
Ideally, the bed isn't positioned over a vent, which delivers heat from the furnace to warm the room in the winter and from the air conditioner to cool the room in the summer.
Sleeping with the heater on increases the levels of carbon monoxide in the room. People with heart disease may get chest pain, while smokers with heart disease are particularly at risk, so are young children and elderly. The risk of asphyxia (sleep death) is high when using gas heaters.
Not too close. Most home heating deaths happened because a space heater was too close to furniture, clothing, mattresses, or bedding. Make sure your heater is at least three feet from anything that can burn.
Keep heaters at least 3 feet away from anything that can burn, including upholstered furniture, bedding, curtains, clothing, insulation, cardboard and papers. Never leave heaters on when unattended. Turn heaters off, unplug electric heaters, and turn off portable propane cylinders when leaving the area.
Putting a bed over a floor vent might seem like a simple solution, but it can lead to a host of problems. We've seen how it can create safety hazards, mess with your home's heating and cooling, and even damage your bed. Blocked vents can cause fire risks, poor air quality, uneven temperatures, and moisture buildup.
Baseboard heaters are very efficient, but they can be a serious fire hazard if used carelessly. Common sense can prevent a baseboard heater fire. Any time a flammable object comes in contact with a heater, a fire could result.
Beds. Beds should also have a small gap left between them and the radiator. There's the potential for rolling over and burning yourself in the night on a hot rad. Alternatively, sleeping too close to a radiator could you give you insomnia or give you a headache from over heating.
The CPSC calls it the “3-foot rule,” and it's pretty simple: Avoid placing a space heater within 3 feet of anything flammable. Some manuals list curtains, papers, furniture, pillows, and bedding as objects to stay away from.
Leaving the heater running all night might cause a fire because of an overloaded circuit, or a nearby item could ignite. Some older portable heaters might not be designed with the same safety features as a more modern heater.
Drapery or furniture placed too close to heaters can also be a problem. Especially when it comes to electric baseboard heaters, you should treat your baseboard heaters with respect. Ensure there is an 18 inch space between hydronic baseboard heaters and drapes or furniture.
Breathing in dry air can lead to a dry throat, which may become irritated and sore. 1 Running the heater or air conditioning overnight can make the air you breathe drier and may be why your throat is only sore at night. Mouth breathing while sleeping, especially in a dry environment, can make your throat dry and sore.
Yes, you should not sit close to a heater, especially if it is an electric heater with a fan. This is because the direct airflow can lead to drying and sometimes burning of your skin, and you also face the risk of nodding on the heater, which could cause severe burns and other risks.
We get a lot of questions from people who want to know if they can put furniture in front of their heaters. Simple answer, you should not place anything in front of your heater as it is not safe; this includes any kind of furniture, drapes, paper, bedding, and people.
Make sure that furniture like dressers, nightstands, and other pieces that could cover the vent are placed over it. When placing a run in the room, they should not overlap the vent. Again, these also need at least 6-12 inches of clearance and would work best if left totally open.
Pieces of furniture and other objects increase the risk of fire when they're placed too close to a baseboard heater. You should place all objects, including fabrics, cushions, or wooden items, 6 to 12 inches away from the heaters. These can easily catch fire when exposed to sustained heat.
“No, it's absolutely not safe to use a space heater at night,” states Glenn Gault, CEO at Gault Heating & Cooling. “It's not even safe to leave your space heater running when you leave a room for just a few minutes.
Heater placement:
Don't place in locations that are normal paths of travel. Maintain at least 36 inches between the heater and any flammable material including beds, clothing, furniture, curtains, or other flammable materials. Never drape or lay materials, such as wet clothing, over a space heater.
Always make sure that there is at least a three feet clearance space between the heater and other objects in the area. This could be TVs, Speakers, ceiling fans, lights or sprinklers. Extra care should be taken with fabrics, such as awnings, blinds or curtains as these items tend to be highly flammable.
Heaters are best placed under windows. If you do not have the space for panel heaters, you can also choose wall strip panel heaters, which are lower and longer variants. By placing heaters under the windows, you heat up cold air descending from the window glass, and avoid cold draughts along the floor.
Portable space heaters that use a fuel source such as propane or kerosene can release toxic fumes and gases, such as carbon monoxide. To avoid the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, use only electric space heaters and never place a fuel-burning space heater in an enclosed space (such as an apartment).
On a carpet, rug or flammable surface
Space heaters can't sit on any surface that can easily scorch or catch on fire. That means you can never place one on a carpet or rug. You should also avoid using them on more delicate hardwoods or meltable vinyl, especially for long periods.