21 июля 2014 г.
There’s nothing cozier. more relaxing or more romantic than a fire quietly roaring away in your fireplace. As beautiful and soothing as they are, fireplaces can be dangerous. One must always use caution when and be sensible when lighting a fire. Last year tragedy struck a nearby town when, on Christmas Eve, a fire destroyed an historic home in the midst of a massive renovation, and with it took the lives of three young children and two grandparents. A now childless mother and her partner were the sole survivors. According to the mother, the ashes were never properly disposed of that night as the little girls wanted to have a clear and fireplace for Santa Claus. The events of that night were indeed tragic, but we can all learn from those lessons.
fireplace maintenance How to Enjoy your Fireplace Safely this Holiday Season
It is extremely important to have your chimney inspected at least every 2 years.
Fireplace safety starts in the chimney, in the area behind the flue where not much can be seen from the naked eye. We strongly suggest you contact a reputable chimney sweep to have a thorough look at your chimney and fireplace. There are chimney sweep scammers out there, so do your homework and make sure the person you hire is a reputable one.
The chimney sweep will start by inserting a special brush into the fireplace and up the chimney. This is done to remove any soot and debris on the bricks. After this the flue, damper, smoke chamber, smoke shelf and firebox are all cleaned. The entire process should not take more than an hour. Once that process is completed the chimney sweep will most likely carry out a smoke test by lighting a small fire in the fireplace. This will ensure that everything has been properly cleaned and that your fireplace is safe to use. It is advisable to keep records of all reports.
fireplace safety How to Enjoy your Fireplace Safely this Holiday Season
Burn safely
Never use flammable liquids to start a fire in your fireplace. It’s best to use starter logs and newspaper. Make sure you have a strong, secure grate upon which to place your logs. Be sure to use only seasoned hardwood as wood that has not been seasoned, or kiln dried, sizzles and fails to start a large, hot fire. Instead it creates excess smokes and promotes creosote build-up. Creosote is the tar-like substance produced from the burning of wood in your fireplace and chimney and produces soot and tarry smoke. The tarry remnants are extremely flammable.
Never burn cardboard boxes, trash or debris in your fireplace. Never leave your burning fireplace unattended. It is important to extinguish the fire before going to bed or leaving the house, and imperative that you allow ashes to cool fully before you dispose them, and best to leave them in your fireplace until the following morning if you’ve enjoyed a fire the night before. The smoke from burning wood contains carbon monoxide, in order to prevent this toxic gas from entering your home leave the flue open overnight.
fireplace never leave unnatended How to Enjoy your Fireplace Safely this Holiday Season
Protect your home, inside and out.
Install smoke and carbon monoxide detectors on every level of your home and inside and outside of sleeping areas. Test them monthly and change the batteries at least once a year. You may want to consider installing the new long life smoke alarms.
Firewood should be safely stack at least 30 feet away from your home.
Keep the roof clear of leaves, pine needles and other debris.
Your chimney should be covered with a mesh screen spark arrester. If there are any visible branches over or near the chimney, they should be removed.
Fireplace coals remain hot for long after the fire has been extinguished. Use a shovel to scoop the ashes into a metal container. Store the container far from combustibles, combustible surfaces and wood floors. You may also want to invest in a special fireplace vacuum. Many fireplaces have little trap doors at the bottom towards the back. The ash can be disposed down the trap. At the base of the chimney, perhaps in the basement, you will find another door containing the ash and you can clear it out from there, if preferable. Never use a regular house-hold vacuum to clean up ashes, because live coals may remain in those ashes.
You should clean the firebox (the area where the logs burn) at least once a week during the months you use it. It is actually suggested that you leave about an inch of ash because it acts as insulation, allowing the coals to heat faster and retain heat. The fireplace should be thoroughly cleaned out once the fire season is over.
Read more: http://freshome.com/2012/12/13/how-to-enjoy-your-fireplace-safely/#ixzz3...