Fireplace Safety Tips To Avoid Burning Down Your Home
A fire outbreak is one of the most dangerous disasters your home can face because it can destroy everything. That is why you should be careful with your fireplace since its one of the places where fire outbreak might start. Here are a few fireplace safety tips to observe.
Open the Damper or Flue Open While Starting the Fire
The fireplace damper is there to prevent heated air from escaping your home when the fireplace is not in use. However, the damper should be open when the fireplace is in use so that it can draw out smoke and excess heat out of the house. Therefore, confirm that the damper is open before starting the fire.
Ensure the Chimney Is Always Clean
There are various reasons it's dangerous to use a dirty chimney. For example, a dirty chimney contains partially burnt organic compounds or combustion byproducts, such as creosote. A buildup of creosote is not only dangerous for your health, but it is also a fire risk that can create a fireplace explosion. Not only that, but a dirty fireplace also restricts proper exhaustion of gases from the house, which can lead to carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide poisoning.
Ensure a Chimney Cap Is Always In Place
Every house with a chimney should have a chimney cap. A chimney cap ensures that objects don't fall into the chimney from outside the house. For example, without a functional chimney cap, roof debris can easily fall into the chimney and affect its operations. Not only that, but a chimney cap also ensures that fireplace embers don't fly into the roof and cause a fire. Therefore, don't use your fireplace if the chimney cap is missing or damaged.
Don't Let Children Handle Fireplace Accessories
Kids don't have the same sense of safety as adults, so it makes sense that they shouldn't be left to handle the fireplace or its accessories. For example, if you have a child, you can install a safety screen between the fireplace and the rest of the house. Also, ensure that tools and accessories such as lighters, wood racks, bellows, and ash buckets are always out of reach of children.
Don't Leave Fires Unattended
Lastly, fire is a dangerous thing that should never be left unattended. If a fire is unattended, then even something as "small" as an ember may fly out of the fireplace and cause a serious fire outbreak. That won't happen if someone is attending to the fire because they will easily smother it. Therefore, when going to sleep or leaving the house, make sure there is no fire in the fireplace.
Despite your best efforts, your home may still be damaged in a fire outbreak either from the fireplace or other places. If that happens, you should be having a homeowners insurance policy to help pay for the damages.
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