Fireplace Upkeep

There is nothing like a roaring fire to help warm a chilly night. Well, I have some hints to help keep your fireplace in tiptop shape!

1. Each and every year have your chimney checked by a professional to clean away excess creosote and clear any obstructions.

2. When you're cleaning out your fireplace spritz the ashes with water before scooping to keep dust to a minimum.

3. Leave behind a layer of ash under the grate. This will protect the floor of the firebox from excess heat and will catch coals so the fire will burn longer. Just remember embers burn for a long time so make sure that you wait a couple of days to remove the excess ashes.

4. When building a fire only use seasoned firewood and plain newspaper or white paper. Wad it up tightly or twist it into a small log shape. This is also a great way to recycle the paper from your home office. Remember never burn colored paper in your fireplace.

5. Sprinkle your logs with salt before lighting the fire it will help keep soot to a minimum.

6. Fires need oxygen to burn; poor air circulation can cause carbon monoxide build-up. So make sure that you leave the doors of your fireplace open slightly to give it plenty of air.

Fireplace Smarts

If you love a roaring fire, there are some fireplace smarts you should think about before you build a fire.

1. When you're building a fire start small. Some kindling and one or two logs will get smoke and drafts moving in the right direction by warming the fireplace and chimney rather than blasting them with heat. You never want to build a huge fire in a home fireplace, the bigger the fire, the more smoke and heat and the more chance you'll end up with a chimney fire.

2. Keep a fire extinguisher in the same room as your fireplace so you have easy access to it if you ever need it.

3. Don't store firewood in your house, it attracts insects! Store it outside at least twenty feet away from your house.

4. If you don't want to go through the trouble of having firewood at your house try manufactured fire logs just make sure that you read the instructions for lighting and never burn more than one at a time.

5. Finally, don't close your damper until you're sure that all of the embers have cooled completely. Closing it prematurely can cause a buildup of heat and the fire could start back up when you're not watching!