A fireplace is such a joy in any home, especially during the cold months when everyone seems to bundle up and huddle by the fireplace for a nice, comfortable warmth. However, fireplaces can damage your home and cause health hazards if poorly maintained, and this reality makes fireplace safety an important subject that homeowners would do well to look into.
Luckily, keeping your fireplace in a good working condition isn’t difficult to do. There are actually minor tasks and changes that you can adopt which will help keep your fireplace a safe and healthy feature of your home.
Fireplace Safety: 6 Maintenance Tips for a Safe Fireplace
Control the smoke
Gone are the days when fireplaces double as furnaces running for days at a time. Today, experts believe that fireplaces should not exceed five hours of continuous burning. Plus, it’s best to crack the windows open to reduce the amount of smoke. Don’t worry about the cold air countering the heat from the fireplace; most of the outside air will go up the chimney anyway even during winter or when the weather is extremely cold.
Also, take note that one good sign that your fireplace needs cleaning is when there’s a lot of smoke. A properly burning fireplace produces minimal smoke, so when your home becomes too smokey, best clean your fireplace immediately.
Limit the sparks
Stray sparks have been known to cause fire accidents. To avoid such a scenario, place a non-flammable near your fireplace to catch any sparks that would escape the screen. For fireplaces with glass, be sure to open both the glass and the damper. Consider using a spark arrester too to prevent the carbon from landing on the lawn.
To stop downdrafts from messing your energy bills and filling the home with smoke, you can use chimney caps. However, chimney caps can limit incoming oxygen when they get clogged. When that happens, it will be tricky to light a fire or keep it burning for a long time.
Look out for debris buildup
Check your fireplace for soot and debris. If these have accumulated, make sure to clean them up first to avoid accidents. Soot and debris that built up could also result in denser smoke, which is something you wouldn’t want in your home.
Clean the chimney every year
Some chimneys or fireplaces might require more frequent maintenance, but the ideal is to get your chimney cleaned and expected at least once a year. You can do this yourself, or you can let professional cleaners do the job. Aside from cleaning, be sure to also look for loose bricks or damages and to patch them up while they’re still manageable.
Consider your choice of wood
Here’s a fun fact: trees with lots of sap can help reduce fireplace buildup. Hence, be mindful of your choice of wood. Birch, oak, and ash are some of the better choices.
Delay removing coals
It can take as long as three days for coal to cool down, so don’t try to remove coal right after. If you really have to remove -still-hot coals from your fireplace, wear protective gear to avoid injuries.
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