Fireplace and Woodstove Safety

Having a wood burning fireplace or a wood burning stove in your home as a primary heating source or secondary heating source is not new in the twenty first century. After all, they have been around for centuries. However, fireplace and woodstove safety should be a constant concern for the homeowners that use them.  Having a wood burning fireplace or wood burning stove doesn't have to be dangerous, but it shouldn't be treated casually either. Fireplace inserts and fireplace stoves have become common because of the poor efficiency of fireplaces. Essentially these fireplace inserts turn the fireplace into a wood burning stove. They should be maintained in the same way a woodstove is maintained.  Here are some basic tips to make sure that your wood burning experience is a safe and happy one.

1. If you are a DIY homeowner you probably clean your own chimney. If you are not, you should have your chimney professionally cleaned at least once a year, more if you use your fireplace or woodstove a lot. I burn approximately five cord of dry hardwood a year and clean the chimney twice a year. Cleaning will alleviate the buildup of creosote, which is what causes chimney fire.

2. Only burn seasoned, hard woods such as oak, or maple. Soft woods such as pine burn at a much lower temperatures, creating a lot of creosote. Hard woods burn cleaner and hotter. But if the wood is green, creosote will still be a problem. Use hard wood that is seasoned for at least a year.

3. Use a fireplace screen in front of fireplaces and woodstoves with open doors. Spark screens keep sparks and bits of kindling from floating out into your living room and catching the carpet on fire or burn spots on hardwood floors.

4. Insure everyone in the family respects the fire. Insure everyone understands that it’s a bad idea to play with fire. Remind everyone not to get too close and to move carefully when in the vicinity of a fireplace or woodstove. A fireplace screen establishes a safe perimeter for small children or pets.

5. When not in use close the damper and fireplace doors tightly. A fire may appear completely out, but a draft can get the embers to burning again. And a slight breeze can take them out into your living room. Keeping the fireplace damper and woodstove piper damper closed also prevents smelly down drafts during the non heating season.

6. Clean fireplaces between each use and woodstove should be cleaned before there is excessive ash build up. Excessive ash in a woodstove or fireplace insert stove will degrade the burning efficiency.

7. Only clean the fireplace or woodstove after the fire is completely out and everything is cool. Don’t risk injury to yourself from smoldering charcoal.  When removing the ash place it in a closed covered metal container to transport it outside for disposal. Never put ashes from fireplaces or woodstoves in a plastic container or the trash.

8. Insure you have working smoke alarms outside all sleeping areas and on every level of the house. Test smoke alarms frequently to insure that they are in working order. A carbon monoxide detector is recommended in the vicinity of a wood burning stove. 

9. Fire extinguisher should be readily available.

10. Have an evacuation plan.  Make sure everyone in the family knows at least two routes to get to the outside of the house.

If you do have a chimney fire, close the fireplace damper or damper on the woodstove pipes and close any air intakes and doors tightly. Call the fire department and vacate the house. A chimney fire is easy to detect as it makes a roaring noise with sparks and flame coming out of the top of the chimney. It is imperative to close all air sources to the fireplace or wood stove when there is a chimney fire. In most cases this will cause the fire to immediately go out. After a chimney fire the chimney should be cleaned and inspected for cracks in the liner before continued use.

Fireplace and woodstove safety is a serious matter. By practicing these safety tips you can have a pleasant and safe wood burning experience.