The winter season is the perfect time of year for cozying up to a fire in your indoor fireplace. There’s almost nothing better than sitting by a fire watching the snow fall outside the windows. To ensure that each of your fires is cozy and safe this winter, make sure you know the top indoor fireplace safety tips for your home.
Regular Chimney Inspection and Cleaning
Scheduling regular chimney inspections and cleanings is one of the most important steps of fireplace maintenance. If you don’t regularly clean your chimney, soot and debris can get caught in the chimney, making lighting future fires hazardous. This debris could cause a blockage in your chimney, which is a fire hazard and would cause smoke to back up into your home. Prevent smoke inhalation and smoke damage to your home by cleaning your chimney to provide an optimal escape route for smoke.
Open the Damper
The damper or fireplace flue is crucial to a safe indoor fire. Always check that your fireplace damper is in a fully open position before lighting your fire. This is to ensure that smoke and soot travel up and out of your chimney. You should leave the damper open until the fire’s ashes have burned and cooled. Just like with a dirty chimney, if you fail to open the fireplace damper, smoke will have nowhere to travel and will enter your home.
Use the Right Wood
Using the right wood is a simple fireplace safety tip to always be aware of. Dry wood will burn the cleanest and most efficiently. On the other hand, wet or green wood is harder to burn and results in more smoke entering your chimney and spilling into your home. Try to elevate your firewood storage off the ground to prevent moisture and keep it in an open and breezy area of your property.
Don’t Leave the Fireplace Unattended
You should never leave an indoor fire unattended. Indoor fires are a safe way to heat your home and provide ambiance but can be dangerous when unsupervised. Make sure to keep your belongings and decorations away from the fireplace box and have a fire extinguisher in the room for added protection in case of accidents. This will help prevent the fire from spreading outside the fireplace.
Overall, lighting a fire in your home fireplace is a nice way to add extra heat and ambiance to the room. However, you must always follow these indoor fireplace safety tips for your home every time you use your fireplace. With these tips, you’ll have a comfortable and safe indoor fire every time. In the event of a fireplace accident, reach out to your local fire restoration contractors like our team here at Aloha Restoration Co.
