Monday, April 20, 2015

Safety Tips When Using The Wood Fireplaces

By Stella Gay


The winter season requires people to turn up the heat of their fireplace. The wood fireplaces in Hamilton Ontario are the most popular ones being used these days. If you are using this, then you better take note of some safety measures to its usage. Here are the safety tips you can use when utilizing the said fireplace.

First, you have to be meticulous in picking which wood to burn for a fireplace. As much as possible, you should only pick the dry, cured ones. You should find those that have been split, stacked, and dried eight to 12 months ago. It is also your job to choose between the hardwood or less dense wood for a fireplace.

Even if you have a lot of scraps in your house, you should only use firewood as a source of fire in the fireplace. Do not use anything else, no matter how appealing it is for you to use treated wood such as painted wood, lumber, crates, or construction scraps. These release harmful chemicals that can compromise the air quality in the house.

If you are burning the fire, then you must keep the bifold glass doors open. Doing so will allow the heat to get inside the rooms. If the fireplace you have is a factory-built, prefab one, then you can enjoy the use of the circulating fan. However, you should keep the door closed for this to prevent any unnecessary heat loss.

Get a chimney cap and have it installed in your chimney. You have to do this quickly so that you can prevent any object, snow, and rain from falling inside a chimney. These debris can really damage your chimney, after all. It is also through the installation of a cap that you can significantly reduce the downdrafts from outside.

Sealing dampers have its purpose in the fireplace. When you locate any poorly sealing damper, it is a must to have them replaced at the soonest time possible if you do not want to suffer from heat loss. You should try to replace traditional dampers with the top-mounted ones too since not only can this act as a rain cap but it provides tighter closure too.

You should install detectors for carbon monoxide with the fireplace. Carbon monoxide, when in large volume in the house, can cause poisoning so you need to be wary of it. Aside from the detectors for carbon monoxide, it would be beneficial for you to install detectors for smoke. You can prevent disasters with these two detectors.

Maintenance and cleaning should be done on a regular schedule. These are two works that can ensure that a fireplace remains operational. You must get a fireplace cleaned on a regular basis, maybe twice a year. The cleaning should also be done by the professionals on the said field.

The safety measures that you should follow are not only limited to these. There should be many others you can follow out there. As soon as the winter season comes, you have to remember these safety measures if you want to get by the said months without accidents. You should always bear that in mind.




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