| By :
Stewart Wrighter
Ask anyone whether they would like a home with or without a fireplace. You will find very rarely an answer that says they would not like one. There is so much comfort and pleasure revolving around the fireplace that this has become a status symbol more than a necessity in homes. Safety comes first of course, in such situations and masonry construction professionals are always ready to work and have you and your family safe. In fact, as any masonry construction professional would advise you, it takes very little to ensure the safety of your home but this is so important. Have the chimney inspected at least once a year -- whether you use the fireplace or not, it is important to have the chimney inspected at least once a year. The fee for such an inspection is about thirty-five dollars and in many cases it could be free if it is offered as a promotional. The inspection would tell you whether the passage is okay or it needs special intervention to have it clean. Clean the chimney passage -- sometimes, you do not need it; but in most cases you will find a cleaning helps. There could be creosote buildup that could result in dangerous fires, which could destroy your home and harm you and your dear ones. There would be instances where birds would have build nests or debris that keeps falling in which can clog the passage way. Use fireplace screens or glass -- this is an important addition on your safety from fireplace routine. In olden days, the carpets were always kept away from the fire, but today people prefer wall to wall carpeting. Sparks from the fire could jump out and fall on to the carpet burning and damaging the carpet and risking a fire in the home. This would also protect your children and pets from getting burned for even if they get close to the fire, the fire would not be able to harm them. Material used for your fireplace should be good -- use always good wood for the fireplace. Start with a small fire; do not overload as this would lead to excessive smoking. Never put in charcoal in the fireplace as this gives out poisonous gases (carbon monoxide) that can kill you and your dear ones without any warning. Use always well-seasoned wood. You will recognize it by its weight (it is lighter) and color (it is darker). Keep the damper open -- do not commit the mistake of closing the damper while there is fire in the firebox. You also keep the damper open if there is hot ash or smoldering fire in the firebox. As you can see, these are small yet very important steps to ensure that you keep your home and dear ones safe. It is very easy to really set fire to yourself if you do not follow these rules carefully. This is why most people moved away from real fireplaces to the electrical ones.
|
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.articlesbacklink.com/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites
