To ensure optimal safety and warmth, follow these essential fireplace safety tipsand maximize your fireplace’s functionality after relying on it to keep your home cozy for the past few months.
Let’s start with a few wood-burning fireplace safety tips:
- Have your fireplace and chimney checked by an expert on an annual basis. Ash and creosote can build up in your chimney and if not cleaned properly can cause damage to your home.
- This may seem like an obvious tip, but make sure your damper is open while the fire is burning and until the fire is gone.
- When lighting a fire, be sure not to use flammable liquids such as lighter fluid. These liquids can give off toxic fumes and can even cause an explosion.
- Make sure to burn only wood or crafting logs in your fireplace. Various coated paper, green plants, and other materials can be created toxic gas can spread throughout your home.
- Use an appropriate metal shield or fireplace cover to keep the embers inside your fireplace and outside of your living room.
- Finally, always keep a fire extinguisher in a convenient location in case something goes wrong.
While gas fireplaces are much less maintenance-intensive than wood-burning fireplaces, it’s important to follow a few Fireplace Safety Tips to keep your home safe:
- Just like a wood-burning fireplace, schedule it annual maintenance to make sure your heater is working properly.
- Make sure that you have a secure screen and that it is intact with no cracks or defects.
- Setting carbon monoxide detector throughout your home. Carbon monoxide is colorless, odorless and tasteless but very toxic so it’s important to know right away if you have a leak.
- Warn your family members, especially children, that the glasses/screens can be very hot and that they should keep a safe distance.
- Finally, although gas fireplaces do not emit charcoal, it is important to keep combustible materials such as fabric, paper, wood, etc. away from the heater.
Now, sit down and enjoy your fire, knowing that your home is safe and protected.
