Nothing can be more enjoyable than sitting on a couch, beside a fireplace and reading your favorite book during the winter. Fireplaces are meant to create a comfortable atmosphere during the winter months. Now, if you want to enjoy the warmth of the fireplace with complete peace of mind, make sure you take care of your chimney with the help of professional chimney sweeping and repair experts. Bob Davis Chimney has been providing chimney inspection and chimney sweeping services for more than three decades. To keep your chimney safe, you can give them a call anytime. Also, make sure you follow the below-mentioned tips in order to use your fireplace safely in winter. It’s All About Choosing the Right Fuel Tip 1: Avoid Using Combustible Liquid It may take some time to start a fire in the fireplace. You might be impatient about it. What you want to do is to start the fire within a short amount of time. But we would say to be patient about it and go for slow fire. Don’t use combustible liquids like kerosene, gasoline, or other chemical starters since they are risky to use and can cause a fire to burn out of control. Tip 2: Don’t Use Damp, Diseased, Moldy, or Rotten Wood Rotten and wet wood smolders, and this often causes creosote buildup. You might know how creosote fumes cause coughing and many other health issues. To reduce this risk, make sure that you use dry wood. Seasoned firewood or dry wood produces less smoke when it is burned. This will make sure there will be less risk for creosote buildup. Chimney Care Is No Less Important Tip 3: Inspect Chimney Routinely It is necessary to inspect your chimney routinely with the help of professionals. By doing this, you will know whether your fireplace and chimney are okay. Let Bob Davis Chimney inspect your entire chimney, including the liners, chimney exterior, smoke chamber, and firebox. They will let you know whether your fireplace is safe to use. Tip 4: Clear the Ashes and Sweep Chimney Before stacking fresh wood and starting the fire, do not forget to clean all the ashes properly. Just vacuum or sweep the cold ashes and remove them from the fireplace. Once you clear the place, you can stack new seasoned firewood and start the fire. Chimney sweeping is a crucial step of fireplace maintenance. According to professionals, chimney systems should be cleaned once or twice a year. However, how frequently chimneys should be cleaned depends on the type of wood you use. Tip 5: Look for Chimney Cracks Before the winter arrives and you start using the fireplace regularly, check your chimney for cracks, missing mortar, or lose bricks. Professionals can carry out this task in the best possible way. In case they find any crack, let them fix it as soon as possible. Tip 6: Cap Your Chimney Chimney caps prevent water damage to your chimney and can prevent animals from entering your chimney. When you cap your chimney properly, you can expect that carbon monoxide will not enter your home from the chimney. Some Other Tips to Consider Tip 7: Use Proper Tools When using the fireplace, don’t use your hands to handle the burning logs, even if it seems risk-free. Rather, use the right tools and handle the burning wood safely. Tip 8: Extinguish the Fire Before You Sleep Maybe you are quite tired and thinking about going to bed soon. But, no matter how tired you are, do not go to sleep before putting out the fire in the fireplace. You should never leave the fireplace alone until the fire is extinguished completely. You can close the damper when there is no fire. This way, you will prevent carbon monoxide buildup. Tip 9: Pay Attention to Maintenance Take fireplace and chimney maintenance seriously. The skilled professionals from Bob Davis Chimney can help you with regular chimney maintenance. Whether it is about inspecting chimneys or sweeping and repairing, trained chimney sweepers are there to keep your fireplace safe throughout the year. Tip 10: Keep Children and Pets Away from the Chimney When using your fireplace, do not leave your little kids or pets alone with the fire. Keep them away from the fireplace to avoid any unwanted accidents. Unfortunately, chimney fires from creosote buildup are pretty common these days. But, when you take proper care of your chimney and fireplace with the help of professionals like Bob Davis Chimney, you are likely to stay safe. Inspect your chimney regularly, clean it routinely and stay safe with your family.
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