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!