Tips & Trends - 09/2006

Home Hearth - Clean And Safe!

The evenings will soon be cooling off and what better way to spend a chilly evening then in front of the fireplace? There is something so comforting about staring into the flames, feet stretched out in front and relaxing in the comfort and magic of the home hearth.

Before hauling in the logs or turning on the gas, check for cracks in the flue liner, the bricks and the mortar. If you used your fireplace last year, there could be a build-up of creosote that needs to be cleaned out. If you haven't already done so, install an animal guard on top of the chimney. Squirrels and birds can build a nest which would stop proper air flow.

Many wood-burning fireplaces, while aesthetically appealing, may actually remove more heat from a house than they create. The typical, vertical-back fireplace with an open front is at best ten percent efficient in warming your room. The rest of the warming heat will escape up the chimney. Fireplaces can also pull cold air into the house from small gaps around windows and doors.

Glass doors and fireplace covers can help reduce heat loss from a fireplace. Both products are designed to reduce airflow and thus heat loss up the chimney. Glass doors will have adjustable air intake slots or vents in the frame of the doors, tempered glass and usually an interior screen. The effectiveness of your door depends on several things. Glass that is darkened by soot and creosote reduces the radiant heat transfer to the room and may even weaken the glass during the extreme temperature changes of a fire. Keep it clean! Mix a small amount of ammonia with warm water in a spray bottle to wipe away built up film more efficiently.

Closing the door during the burn allows for better control of the fire but reduces the amount of radiant heat transfer into the room from the fire. But even so, the loss of some radiation is preferred over the uncontrolled air movement up the chimney which will occur with an open door and circulating air. Be sure to shut the doors just after the most intense part of the burn, when the fire is dying and when the fireplace is not in use.

All wood-burning fireplaces should have a damper located in the throat of the chimney or flue above the fireplace. A damper has a cast iron frame with a hinged lid that opens or closes to vary the chimney's throat opening. It is used to manually regulate the amount of air or draft going up the chimney, which controls how much air the fire receives and the rate that it burns. The size of the damper opening should correspond to the size of the fire: a narrow opening for a small fire, wide for a big one. It is important to close the damper when a fire is not burning. This helps to minimize the loss of warm room air up the chimney. If you use your fireplace often, check the damper annually to be sure it closes as tight as possible.

Fireplace screens can be decorative as well as useful. Choose one that is large enough to prevent any stray sparks from entering the room. A 'roaring' fire might sound good but it's not a good idea. A fire that is too large can actually start a fire in the chimney. If you are using artificial logs, only burn one at a time as they produce a higher temperature fire.

Empty the ashes regularly from your fireplace. Before doing so, make sure they have thoroughly cooled and place them in a metal container with a lid before disposing. To reduce the odor of soot, sweep clean all ashes and place a shallow tray of baking soda in the fireplace overnight.

Fire safety rules dictate you NEVER start a fire with flammable liquid. There should also be smoke detectors nearby and a fire extinguisher.

And finally, never leave a fireplace unattended. Before retiring for the evening, be sure the fire is completely out. With proper maintenance and a little extra care, your fireplace will keep you warm and cozy all winter long, year after year.

Copyright 2006 PropertySource Network