When winter comes around, there’s nothing quite like gathering around a breathing fire to keep warm. It’s the perfect setting for a romantic night in or for some late-night smores with the entire family. And while a fireplace is a perfect centerpiece for any living room, it can also bring a handful of hazards and dangers to your home. From a potential fire to tainted air supply, a fireplace needs to be taken care of in order to avoid certain risks. Here are a few fireplace safety tips to keep you and your family safe and secure.
Keep A Window Cracked Open
It’s no secret that fires create smoke. And it doesn’t take a genius to recognize that it’s harder to breathe in a room filled with smoke. It’s usually recommended to keep a window close to the fire cracked so that the smoke from the fire has some sort of exit within your house. Keeping a window cracked open while starting a fire is an excellent way of keeping your home’s air clean and safe to breathe in.
Inspect Your Chimney Periodically
You can’t have a fireplace without a chimney. This is why your chimney should be checked and inspected on a regular basis. Before winter comes around, it’s usually recommended to have your chimney inspected for any cracks in the foundation, loose bricks, or even missing mortars. If not appropriately inspected, all of these problems could lead to future hazards for both your chimney and fireplace. A roof inspection is typically included in most home inspections.
Trim The Limbs Off Your Wood
Most homeowners use tree branches and outside twigs as firewood to fuel their home fires. But while this is a free option that can save you money on firewood, most branches come with multiple limbs hanging off the central branch. It’s important to trim these limbs off before placing your wood in the fireplace due to the fact that they can result in a fire hazard as well as restricting proper draft airflow in your fireplace. Trimming the limbs of your firewood is highly recommended when it comes to using outside branches as firewood.
Use A Fireplace Guard
Sometimes, while tending to a fire inside, embers and pieces of wood will fly out of the fireplace, resulting in a possible fire. A fireplace guard is used to keep your home safe from these wayward embers. It is usually recommended that you never burn wood without a fireplace guard to avoid a possible fire hazard. A fireplace guard acts as a sort of protection for both your house and your fireplace. It eliminates the possibility of embers or pieces of firewood from falling out of your fireplace and into your house. This reduces the chances of a possible fire or any other hazards.
