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Chimney Safety Tips

Safety Tips

If you’ve been enjoying the use of your gas or wood fireplace lately, then your chimney has been getting a workout. However, while you relax in front of a cozy fire, it’s easy to forget that the chimney is something that needs attention on a regular basis.

    •         Keep any decorations or ornaments away from the chimney. A nicely decorated mantel looks attractive, but most items are likely flammable.
    •         Use properly dried wood for a wood fireplace; logs from recently cut trees can produce a lot of smoke and result in an unhealthy and unsafe buildup of creosote and/or soot in your chimney.
    •         Make sure the damper is open enough when using the fireplace. Too much smoke remaining in the flue could lead to creosote buildup.
    •         Install carbon monoxide alarms. If your chimney is clogged, this could cause deadly carbon monoxide to back up into your home.
    •         Have a chimney cap installed. This can prevent leaves and other debris from getting trapped in your chimney, blocking the flue and keeping smoke inside your chimney and, ultimately, backing up into your home.

Letting the professionals handle regular cleanings and checkups is tops among chimney safety tips, but what can you do on a daily basis to ensure that your fireplace and chimney are in top shape? 

Follow these additional tips for total peace of mind:

Other safety measures include not using any type of liquid fire starters for a wood fireplace; using safety guards on sharp hearth corners; and placing a metal screen in front of the fireplace to keep children and pets away from flames.

Again, perhaps the single most important thing you can do when it comes to chimney safety tips is to have a reputable chimney service like Ace Chimney perform an annual cleaning and inspection. Contact us to set up an appointment today!