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6 safety tips for maintaining your fireplace or woodstove

The best way to get those cozy feels

Wood stove in cozy living room. Credit: Getty Images / Svetikd

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There’s little that’s more satisfying than sitting in front of a fire on a cold winter night. A fire warms differently than just about any other heat source.

However, having an open flame in your house can be dangerous. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, heating systems were involved in about 53,600 residential fires in 2011, and 87% of those were chimney fires. Wood stoves were responsible for 4,000 of those fires. This isn’t to scare anyone away from using their fireplace or woodstove, but merely to highlight the importance of good fireplace safety.

With some easy, regular maintenance, you can take full advantage of your fireplace or woodstove and keep your home and family safe.

1. Keep your fire safety equipment up to date

Person fixing smoke detector on ceiling
Credit: Getty Images / AlexRaths

According to the FEMA website, the risk of being seriously harmed in a home fire is cut in half in homes that have working smoke detectors.

Fire, smoke, and carbon monoxide alarms—especially a smart model—are your first line of defense against a fire in your home.

FEMA advises to regularly check batteries, test the alarms monthly, and replace units when they’ve expired, usually after 10 years. Your local building codes will have requirements for where exactly different types of detectors should be located in your home.

And, in the case of an emergency, have an evacuation plan thought through in advance with every member of your household, including where to meet in the event of a fire.

In addition to all required alarms, make sure that you have a fire extinguisher easily accessible near every fireplace or woodstove, just in case.

2. Keep your chimney clean

Chimney cleaner using tool to clear out chimney.
Credit: Getty Images / gabort71

A clean chimney equates to a safer home.

One of the most important maintenance tasks is to have your chimney professionally cleaned and inspected each year. As wood burns, it releases a chemical called creosote, which over time coats the inside of your chimney. Unfortunately, creosote is quite flammable, and, if left in your chimney, can catch fire.

Annual cleaning and inspection of the chimney knocks down the creosote buildup, and can identify problems in your flue where a potential chimney fire could leak through and start a larger house fire.

3. Burn proper fuel

Wood logs and fuel pellets next to burning fire.
Credit: Getty Images / Media Raw Stock

Though the thought of burning old documents or bills that contain sensitive information may be tempting, you should never burn anything other than wood or fuel pellets.

Not all firewood is created equal. While it’s cheap and abundant, pine and other softwoods are not appropriate for burning inside. This is because they release more creosote than hardwoods like oak and maple do. Likewise, you don’t want to burn wet or unseasoned wood. The EPA recommends only burning wood that has been properly stored and seasoned for at least six months.

Also, don’t burn paper, cardboard, or other random debris in your fireplace or woodstove. Paper and paper products produce very loose, unpredictable embers that can float away from your fireplace or out your chimney and cause a fire in or around your home. Debris can burn with unpredictable results—some materials might pop or explode, while still others might release harmful chemicals into the air as they burn.

4. Keep screens, doors, and caps in place

Burning wood fireplace with black metal screen in front.
Credit: Getty Images / Igor Vershinsky

A door or screen in front of your fireplace ensures that pets, children, and furniture can remain unharmed.

Anytime you start a fire in the fireplace, keep the fireplace screen in place. This helps contain errant sparks, embers, and falling logs before they cause damage. Likewise, once the fire is going, shut the door to the woodstove, with the vents open properly. Never leave a wood stove unattended with the door open.

Finally, ensure that your house has a chimney cap installed, preferably one with a spark arrestor to knock down wayward embers. A chimney cap helps to keep leaves, sticks, debris, bees, and animals from getting into the chimney and causing a blockage.

5. Remove ash from your fireplace and stove regularly

Person using shovel to remove ash from fireplace.
Credit: Getty Images / glebchik

The smartest–and safest–way to remove ash from your fireplace is with a shovel or a temperature controlled ash vacuum that is equipped to handle warm ashes.

You don’t want to allow too much ash to build up in your fireplace or woodstove. However, don’t remove all of it. According to the Chimney Safety Institute of America, you want to leave about an inch of ash in the bottom of your firebox. This actually helps your fires to burn better, and protects your wood stove or fireplace from the fire itself.

When removing ash, the simplest method is to use a metal shovel and ash bucket kept far from anything flammable. Even ashes that look extinguished can hide hot embers that can ignite flammable containers even days after your last fire. Never use a regular shop vac or home vacuum to remove ash from your wood stove or fireplace—instead, invest in a dedicated ash vacuum, which is meant for the job.

6. Know how to use your equipment

Person tending to fire inside of wood stove.
Credit: Getty Images / ablokhin

True fire safety involves keeping a watchful eye, and knowing how to remain in control of its size.

Before you start lighting fires, know how your equipment works. Understand the fireplace damper and the wood stove vents and how to use them to control the smoke and fire. Learn how to build a top-down fire to cut down on smoke, and learn how to keep the fire a manageable size.

Fires are a wonderful thing in a home, as long as you’re in full control of them.

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