Basic Tips for Fire Safety That Everyone Should Know

If you have a fireplace, keeping your home and family safe is an issue that should not be left to chance. Fire safety experts provide numerous tips that can help to ensure that enjoying home fires is a safe endeavor. A threat of potential danger exists no matter what type of fuel is used in your fireplace or heating stove. Read on to learn or be reminded of the basics of fire safety.

Tips on Fireplace and Heating Stove Fire Safety

The delightful ambiance of home fires is a favorite feature among most home buyers. Fireplaces and wood stoves evoke nature while providing warmth from the cold and an atmosphere of coziness. It is crucial to put safety first. The following are basic fire safety tips that everyone should know:

• Keep up with needed chimney cleaning. Thousands of home fires occur annually because of dirty chimneys. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recommends yearly chimney cleaning.
• All fire safety experts agree that every chimney should be inspected by chimney experts annually. It is usually during a chimney inspection that unseen damage is detected. For instance, the chimney liner can be difficult to see, but an inspection can reveal any existing deterioration. A damaged flue is a threat to home safety. Once damage has been discovered, a heating appliance should not be used again until the flue liner is repaired or replaced.
• Open the chimney damper before starting a fire. Otherwise, toxic combustion gases will billow into the home while a fire is being lit.
• Only use seasoned firewood in your wood-burning heating appliance. Seasoned firewood has a low moisture content of 20% or below. Do not burn treated wood because it releases toxic fumes.
• Clean out ashes from the fire pit regularly so that the fire can get the air it needs. Keep about an inch of ash on the floor of the fire pit, however, to increase the amount of heat that is reflected into the home. Cleaning out the ashes from a fireplace or wood stove should be done with the following procedures to avoid potential disaster:
  • Allow at least 12 hours to pass since the last fire before cleaning out the ashes.
  • Use a shovel and ash bucket made of non-flammable material, such as metal. The bottom of the bucket should be raised so that the heat from any possible hot embers is not sitting flush against the floor, where it could
    possibly cause charring.
  • If you see live embers in the ash pile, spread them out using a poker and cover with ashes to extinguish them.
  • After placing the ashes in the bucket, carry the ash bucket out of the home and away from combustible materials. Set the bucket on a non-flammable surface where any hot embers in the bucket cannot start a fire if tipped over.

Contact chimney experts at Dubuque Fireplace & Patio to schedule chimney cleaning, chimney inspections, masonry repair, and all chimney services as well as installation of heating appliances. We also have a sister store in Highland WI, Chimney Specialists Inc., that can be reached at (608) 929-4887 or toll-free at (800) 395-6660.
If you live in Dubuque or the surrounding area, call Dubuque Fireplace & Patio today at
(563) 582-5156.