Shorewest’s Fireplace Safety Tips Keep You Toasty This Winter

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With the wind chill and temperatures getting lower and lower, now is the perfect time to cozy up to a warm fireplace. Fireplaces and chimneys are involved in 42% of home-heating fires, so follow these simple tips to keep you and your family safe this winter.

fireplace

  • Hire a chimney sweep. Follow Mary Poppins’s lead and hire a chimney sweep. A clean chimney helps keep your home free of soot and debris. Experts recommend they should be swept once a year, and you can find a qualified chimney sweep at the Chimney Safety institute of America. In addition, they should also check for cracks, loose bricks and other damage.
  • Cap your chimney. A cap fitted to your chimney keeps rain, debris and critters like birds and squirrels out of your chimney. Repair a damaged cap or install a new one.
  • Build a safe fire. Place logs in the rear of the fireplace on a metal grate and be sure to always use kindling to start a fire rather than flammable liquids.
  • Burn the best wood. Seasoned hardwoods are your best and safest bet for burning each winter. Dense wood, such as oak, that has been split and stored in a high, dry place for at least six months is an ideal choice. Other softwoods produce more of a flammable byproduct of combustion called creosete, and it can build up in the chimney.
  • Use a spark guard. Keep your home and your hearth safe with a mesh metal screen or glass fireplace doors. This is especially important if your fire is left unattended while you’re in another room.

Your Shorewest, REALTOR® can help you with all of your home needs. From chimney sweeps to cleaning for holiday guests, our representatives can connect you with reliable vendors for all of your home improvement needs.

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Categories: Home Improvement

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