When winter comes, it’s time to start thinking about fireplace safety. Statistics still show far too much neglect when it comes to safety using a fireplace. Even FEMA reports that 36% of all residential fires are related to fireplaces.
When you own a fireplace, you simply have to take responsibility in caring for it or it can cause some major hazards. But even various safety tips may not always prevent a fire. Part of your fireplace safety plan should be investing in a reliable fire protection system.
Cleaning Your Fireplace
Hiring a fireplace and chimney expert annually to come clean your fireplace is mandatory to avoid fire dangers. A certified expert will clean your chimney as well as inspect it for flaws. During the inspection, they may look around the area outside around your chimney to make sure you don’t have tree branches hanging over your chimney that could ignite. The same goes with leaves or fallen branches around the immediate area.
While the chimney expert may scope out dangers, you should take the time to remove anything flammable near the fireplace’s hearth. Check to make sure any holiday decorations or debris aren’t sitting around the area that could potentially ignite from a tiny ember.
Covering the Front of Your Fireplace
You should always have either a glass or a metal mesh screen when burning a fire in your fireplace. Don’t get careless and forget to open the glass doors when burning a fire. If you don’t, creosote could build in your chimney from lack of combustion that could be a serious fire hazard later. Also, don’t forget to close your glass doors after your fire is out to avoid embers from flying out and perhaps igniting something nearby.
The smartest protection is using glass doors and a mesh screen at the same time. A closed screen while your glass doors are open can also prevent any burning ember risk.
What You Burn in Your Fireplace
While common sense always applies here, there might still be people out there who use flammable liquids to start a fire. That should never be done, and any fire should be as small as possible to prevent excessive flames or smoke. And the only thing that should be burned is seasoned hardwood for the best results as well as safety. Burning anything else could ultimately cause flames to get out of control or to build up unwanted creosote in your chimney.
Most of all, never leave your fire unattended. Many house fires are caused from fireplaces that continue to burn after everyone goes to bed. Before anyone leaves the room for an extended period of time, extinguish your fire thoroughly.
A Reliable Fire Alarm
While accidents can still happen, that earlier-mentioned fire alarm system is going to be essential. Here at All Island Security, we recommend a photoelectric fire alarm that contains an optical sensing chamber to detect any hint of a fire in your Long Island home. For added security, the alarm has a temperature sensor that automatically alerts our monitoring center if your home gets above 135 degrees.
For those living in the Long Island, New York area, discover how superior we are to any other home security company on Long Island.
