Tag Archives: fire

How NOT to Burn Down Your House!

Fireplace, ,

Fire damages from hot ashesI had an interesting conversation with a caller recently. She had emptied her ashes from her fireplace, placed them in her outside trash can and left to run some errands. What she hadn’t realized was that the embers were still hot even though it had been a few days since her last fire. A neighbor happened to drive by and saw the entire fence was on fire.  He called the fire department who miraculously saved the house.

Her house suffered the loss of her fence and her pool filter and of course, completely disintegrated the trash cans. Because of an observant neighbor’s fast action, she didn’t lose her house.

The homeowner provided me with a photo of the damage. For obvious reasons, she wished to remain anonymous but wanted to spread the word on what can happen if you’re not careful.

Here are tips to properly dispose of fireplace ashes

Even days after having a fire, the ashes can contain embers that are hot enough to ignite combustible materials.

•  Before emptying the ashes from your fireplace, spread the ashes out for a period of time to help cool them off more.

•  Never dump ashes into combustible materials such as paper bags, cardboard boxes or plastic containers.

Bucket to hold fireplace ashes•  Ash buckets specifically designed for this purpose can be purchased from Amazon, big box hardware stores or from your local fireplace store. The ash bucket should be made out of metal, have a tight-fitting lid with a carrying handle and ideally should have a double bottom. Many come with an ash shovel.

•  Put the lid on the ash bucket while moving the ashes from your fireplace to the exterior of your home. You don’t want any fly-away embers and ashes to land on your carpeting or couches.

•  Do not place the full ash bucket on a wood deck or inside a garage. True story: We saw a house completely burn down to the ground because they put the hot ash bucket on their wood deck. Instead, place the ash bucket outside and away from the house.

•  Never place the ash bucket near flammable liquids.

After the fireplace ashes have cooled

•  Avoid spreading the ashes on a windy day. They may not be cooled off and can then spread to a combustible material or vegetation.

•  Don’t spread the cooled-off ashes near flammable vegetation.

•  There are many practical uses for your fireplace ashes. Don’t just throw them away. Gardening, composting, and deterring insects are just a few of those uses.

•  Keep in mind that in some jurisdictions, homeowners may be held financially liable for any damage incurred due to not properly disposing of fireplaces ashes.

Here’s another example of an apartment building near Dulles Airport that almost burned down due to improperly discarding the fireplace ashes.

During the winters, it’s not uncommon to hear news stories about houses being burned down to the ground due to fireplaces–homeowners displaced and lives sadly and tragically lost. Enjoy your fireplace but keep these important points in mind when dealing with the ashes after a fire in your fireplace.

Duraflame log and firestarter

Are Fire Logs Safe to Use?

Fireplace, , , , , ,

Duraflame fire logs and fire starterAre Fire Logs safe to use? This is one of the most frequently-asked questions that we, as chimney sweeps, get asked. There is something to be said for their convenience and it’s not like everybody has enough room to store a cord of wood. We also find that older people like using fire logs because they sometimes find a wood pile too physically demanding. A fire log’s convenience and ease of use is a real advantage but there are a few things you should know in order to reduce the dangers from improperly using this fuel source.

What is a Fire Log?

Prefabricated fire logs are artificial logs made of wax, sawdust and other binding agents. Some of the more common brands are Duraflame, Pine Mountain and Earthlog. These logs are designed to be used in open hearth, brick and mortar masonry systems or prefabricated fireplace systems; however, they cannot be used in freestanding stoves or fireplace inserts. Some basic rules should be followed when using these products.

Rules for Using Fire Logs

Only burn one fire log at a time.

Fire startersNever place fire logs on top of or below a wood fire. Many people will do this because it makes for an easy way to start a fire. Instead, many manufacturers have a safer alternative called a “fire starter” to easily start the fire. Fire starters are considerably smaller than fire logs and the sole purpose of a fire starter is to start a wood fire.

Never poke the fire log once it has started burning. Breaking open the log prematurely releases all the fuel at once and you may experience a major smoking problem. These logs are designed to release the fuel slowly, in a controlled way.

fire gratePrefabricated fire logs must be used on a fire grate with no more than three inches in spacing between the rods of the grate. This will allow enough support to prevent the logs from prematurely breaking open.

The manufacturers of these products state that they are not designed to be used in free-standing stoves or wood stove inserts!

Do not cook food over these fire logs due to the chemicals in the logs. Some manufacturers have designed special “campfire roasting logs” for this use.

Safety Issues with Fire Logs

If the fire gets out of control, use a dry-chemical fire extinguisher or sand. Some of these fire logs are a petroleum-based product. Using water to put out the fire may just “spread the fire” instead of extinguishing the flames.

Always use a fireplace screen in front of the fireplace. Sometimes these fire logs can “spit.”

The damper needs to be in a fully open position while using these fire logs. Even after the fire logs have gone through the time allotted on the package, the damper should still be left open until the next morning to make sure that the ashes are completely extinguished.

If you have glass doors on the front of the fireplace, the glass doors must be in a fully open position. Fire needs oxygen and it pulls the oxygen from the room. Cutting off the oxygen source will create a vacuum inside the firebox and we’ve seen more than a few instances of the glass imploding or exploding. Once the fire is out, close the glass doors before going to bed for safety reasons and to prevent downdrafts in the middle of the night.

And finally, manufacturers of prefabricated fire logs state that these products are clean burning but that doesn’t mean that these logs won’t create creosote buildup in the flue. In fact, in our experience, many times the creosote from fire logs has more of a buildup than with wood. Whether burning fire logs, wood, or other materials, make sure to have your chimney inspected by a CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep on an annual basis and sweep if needed.

In summary, fire logs are convenient because they’re easy to use and easy to store. Follow the rules above and you’ll enjoy a safe and easy fire.

[Photo credits: Terri Pocock]

Rolled up newspaper used in priming the flue

Priming the fireplace flue

Fireplace, , , , , ,

Rolled-up newspaperWhat does a rolled-up newspaper have to do with preventing a smoking problem in a wood-burning, open fireplace?

One of the most common causes for smoking problems in open hearth fireplaces is due to homeowners not priming the fireplace flue before starting the fire, especially during cold weather.  An indication that this is the cause of a smoking problem is if you notice smoke in the room at the beginning of a fire, so it’s a good habit to prime your flue every time you use your fireplace.

Explanation

When it’s cold outside, it’s also cold inside the flue pipe and this cold air is very “heavy air,” especially if it’s cold and/or damp outside. If you light a fire, the smoke rises, but it can’t because the cold air acts like a plug. Instead of the smoke trying to rise up the pipe, the smoke can come into the room where you’re sitting. If you don’t prime the flue, eventually the air inside the pipe will warm up enough on its own but not before filling the room with smoke. Priming the flue is essentially pro-actively starting the draw.  Doing this is especially necessary in chimneys that are on an exterior wall of the house.

Steps to Priming the Flue

1) Open up the damperPriming the flue
2) Place the wood or fire log on the grate3) Tightly roll up a piece of newspaper like a wand or torch and hold it up near the open damper
4) Hold it there for a minute or two until you see the smoke being drawn up the flue
5) Start the wood or fire log on fire

This will heat up the air inside the flue and will get the draw started.

What NOT to do!

It’s potentially unsafe to use the log lighter (the gas pipe under the grate) to prime the flue.  Using the log lighter for this will eventually warm up the air in the flue, but in the meantime, the gases can enter the room where you’re sitting.

In summary….

There is nothing better than a cozy fire on a cold, winter night but that joy can be totally cancelled out by a house full of smoke. Smoking problems can be caused by many reasons but priming the flue is an easy solution for smoking issues. Getting into the habit of priming the flue will go a long way in enjoying that cozy fire in the fireplace.  Bottom line: Don’t throw away those newspapers anymore; they’re good for more than just reading!