Top 4 Fireplace Safety Tips

Curling up with your family or your significant other in front of a fireplace is one of the best experiences of winter. Before you light that fire, however, there are several important tips to keep in mind. Every fireplace, regardless of type, poses a potential danger to your home. Handyman Connection of Matthews shares four safety tips to ensure that your family can safely enjoy the warmth of the fireplace:

1. Build the Fire Slowly. Rather than immediately aiming for a big fire, we recommend building it slowly and adding more wood as it starts to heat up. Make sure you keep the fireplace damper completely open to increase its draw in the early stages. This can also help prevent the smoke from lingering in your fireplace.

2. Make Sure You Burn Dry Wood. Hardwoods like white oak, sugar maple and hickory burn longest while less dense wood like white pine requires more logs. Regardless of the species, make sure your wood is properly cured. This means logs that have been split and stacked for at least eight months.
3. Install a Chimney Cap. Chimney caps prevent rain, snow and other objects from falling into your chimney, helping reduce downdrafts. These feature side vents to allow smoke to escape. If you’re interested in one, a chimney sweep can provide you with a stainless steel cap.
4. Invest in Regular Chimney Maintenance. Do you use your chimney often? if you’re burning more than three cords of wood yearly, this step is important. A cord is at least four feet high, four feet wide and eight feet long. This is usually enough to fill two full-sized trucks.

Enjoy the wonderful, practical and aesthetic benefits of your fireplace while ensuring your family’s safety this winter. For more innovative solutions and tips, turn to Handyman Connection of Matthews. We have a wide range of home improvement services that can help transform your home. Contact us today at (704) 255-5626 to learn more. You can also get an estimate.