Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to set the mood for love with a roaring fire in the fireplace. Fireplaces create a romantic setting that can spark a wonderful Valentine’s evening. However, safety is crucial. Fireplaces, while charming, pose serious risks if you’re not careful. Here are some tips to ensure you and your partner can enjoy a romantic evening while staying safe.
Before lighting your Valentine’s Day fire, it’s important to ensure your fireplace and chimney are in good condition. Hire a professional chimney sweep to inspect the chimney and fireplace for cracks, blockages, or damaged components, like the damper. According to the Chimney Safety Institute of America, creosote, a byproduct of burning wood, is highly flammable and a leading cause of chimney fires.
Plus, critters like birds, raccoons, and squirrels love a warm chimney and often make their homes there during winter. Scheduling an annual chimney inspection by a certified pro ensures these blockages and other problems don’t spoil your evening by starting a fire or causing toxic gases and smoke to flow back into the house.
Seasoned firewood, especially hardwood like oak, maple, or birch, is the only wood you should burn in the fireplace. Seasoned wood is wood that’s dried for at least six months. This reduces the moisture content and produces less smoke. Excessive leads to creosote buildup. Don’t use painted, treated, or manufactured wood products, and never burn trash in the fireplace.
Clear the fireplace area before lighting the fire. Maybe you have Valentine’s decorations or leftovers from Christmas, but these can be highly flammable and can accidentally catch fire. Keep a three-foot clearance zone around the fireplace and ensure that furniture, blankets, and other combustible items are at a safe distance.
Screens or glass doors can prevent random embers and sparks from popping out of the fire and landing in the room, which can lead to a fire. This is especially helpful if you’re celebrating Valentine’s Day, and your attention may not be on the fire. It gives you one less thing to worry about.
Good ventilation is crucial to keeping your fire burning efficiently. Check the damper and make sure it’s fully open before lighting the fire to allow smoke and toxic gases to escape up the chimney instead of spilling into the house. Don’t close the damper until the fire is completely out. This will prevent drafts from coming down the chimney and the heat inside.
It’s tempting to pile on the logs to get an impressive, roaring fire, but that could lead to an out-of-control blaze or excess creosote buildup. The key to having a relaxing fire is to build it small, only using a few logs at a time. Smaller fires produce less smoke and heat, making it safer and more efficient.
This is good advice, no matter what you’re doing. If you get caught up in the evening celebrating Valentine’s Day, make sure you put the fire out if you plan on leaving the house or going into another room. If you do need to leave, make sure someone is there to monitor the fire or let it burn out completely before stepping out.
Even when taking all precautions, accidents still happen. Having a fire extinguisher within easy reach can save your home and your life should something go awry. Know how to use the extinguisher so you can act quickly in an emergency.
Want more fireplace tips or need to schedule a cleaning or inspection? Call Chimney Solutions in Indiana. Whether it’s chimney cleaning, repair and rebuilding, chimney lining, or anything else, we’ve got you covered. Contact us today!
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If you live within 20 miles of Marion County, there’s no need to call any other chimney provider! The team here at Chimney Solutions Indiana will be in our marked trucks and clean uniforms and at your door on time! We travel to Zionsville, Carmel, Fishers, Brownsburg, Westfield, Geist, Eagle Creek, Noblesville and all throughout the Indianapolis, IN area.
We believe that education and ongoing training is important, which is why we continuously invest in ourselves and our team to deliver better service to you. We’re Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) – certified and members of the National Chimney Sweep Guild (NCSG), so whenever advancements are made within the industry, we’re among the first to know about it. When you work with Chimney Solutions, you can expect the latest information and the most advanced services and techniques. We strive to exceed expectations on every job from a routine chimney sweep and chimney cleaning to a full chimney restoration.
We’re committed to providing the best service possible and look forward to serving you and your family, year after year. Call 317-757-6979 to get started! >>