10 Fireplace Safety Tips

Burn, Baby Burn - Safely this Winter

You've been keeping the home fires burning for a few months now.  

But have you been properly caring for and feeding your hearth?

If you don't know the 10 tips for keeping home fires burning - safely - there's no time like the present to make things safe at home.

Here's the lowdown on fireplace safety to keep your home and your family safe this season.

1.  Become a Soot-Stopper

To minimize the buildup of soot and creosote (which can cause chimney fires), use seasoned hardwood or manufactured logs, such as Duraflame, that burn even cleaner than real wood.

If you do use manufactured logs, be sure to follow the use directions on the log's bag. These logs burn hotter than regular wood, and can potentially warp metal chimneys if you burn more than one at a time. Slow and easy does it, remember?

2.  Burn Only Simple Stuff

3.  Go For A Slow Burn

Though a roaring fire looks attractive, it's not as safe as a slower, steadier burn. A too-hot fire can crack your chimney. Just a couple of logs at a time, please. 

Position logs near the back of the fireplace to prevent fire and ashes from finding a way out of the hearth, and into your home.

4.  Open Fireplace Doors 

Open the fireplace doors, too, (if your fireplace has them), and use a fireplace screen when you've got the fire crackling.

Those glass doors are meant to keep drafts out when you're not using the fireplace, and can shatter if exposed to high heat (such as a roaring fire generates.)

5.  Keep the Area Around the Fireplace Clear

Don't position your Christmas tree - or anything else - near the fireplace. If you drape your mantel with garlands or hang stockings or cards from it, don't light a fire.  

Should embers spark out of the fireplace and into the room, you want to make sure there is nothing nearby that will catch fire. This is an essential fireplace safety rule.

6.  Don't Leave a Fire Unattended

For safety's sake, never leave a fire unattended. And yes, this means you shouldn't go to sleep with a fire blazing away.

7.  Open a Window When You Light Your Fire

Fires require about five times as much oxygen as a room usually needs. To make sure there's enough oxygen for the fire to burn efficiently, open a window when you light your fire.

8.  Clean the Firebox Between Fires

While you'll want to leave chimney cleaning to the pros, undertake minor maintenance yourself: If you burn wood, clean the firebox between fires. Scoop up cool ashes and place them in a metal container.

Close the flue or air intake after each use to keep the indoor heat from escaping up the chimney.

9.  Have the Chimney Cleaned Yearly for Fireplace Safety

If the creosote is allowed to build up in the flue, it can suddenly ignite, causing a dangerous chimney fire.

10. Have a Carbon-Monoxide Detector

A carbon monoxide detector is a fireplace safety must-have. This deadly, colorless, odorless gas is becoming a threat in more and more of today's energy-efficient and airtight homes. 

The source of carbon monoxide is usually faulty burning in, or poor venting of, a fireplace.

Keep a Fire Extinguisher Handy

Stash a fire extinguisher near the fireplace so that it's handy - just in case.

The best extinguisher is an easy-to-handle 2- or 5-pound (1 or 2.5 kg) model designed to put out most household fires, like this one from First Alert.