Winter is here and although your furnace will keep the house comfortable through the cold nights, there’s hardly anything like enjoying a night at home with your family and a warm fireplace to sit around. Common sense will tell us that if you are going light a fire inside your home, safety should be the top priority. Every Winter, we hear of families being temporarily or permanently displaced due to a fire that broke out in their fireplace. Below are some fireplace tips to make sure that it is source of comfort and not concern:
Cleanliness
A clean fireplace is a happy fireplace. Make sure there is no debris or excess ashes in the fireplace before starting a new fire. Remove the cold ashes from the fireplace so that they don’t build up (Make sure they are completely extinguished!).
Overloading
Double check that the amount of wood you have in your fireplace is appropriate for the size of the hearth. Stacking too much wood can cause it to fall out of the fire as it burns down. Always use the proper safety guards to prevent wood from falling into the home.
Smoke
If smoke from the fire is present in the home, then something is wrong. Check that the flue is open and that the chimney is not blocked. Contact a professional chimney expert to verify that all parts of the chimney are functioning as they should to move smoke away from the home.
Have the Right Tools
It is a good idea to have an complete fireplace tool set so that you have what you need to safely and securely move the logs as the fire burns. Don’t be the person trying to move burning logs with a broom handle or your hands!
What fireplace safety tips are we missing?
