10 ways to help you make the most of your open fireplace

open fireplace

     Maybe you’ve moved into a new home with an open fireplace and you’ve never had one before, or perhaps your home already has one, but you’ve never really looked to maximise its efficiency. Here at Home Service Pro we want to share our knowledge with you so that you can maximise the benefits of having an open fire, and also maximise the safety elements that should be followed too.

First off, do you know if the chimney has been swept within the last year? If you haven’t done this or don’t know when it was last done, then this is the first thing you should have done for three good reasons:

Home Service Pro Edmonton, Calgary, Alberta chimney sweep, chimney inspection, chimney repairs, chimney cleaning

• ·         You can literally destroy your whole house if you have a substantial chimney fire.Chimney fires are notoriously difficult to extinguish as they are extremely fierce in nature
  

• ·         In the small print a number of insurance companies indicate that if you do not have proof your chimney has been swept within the previous year, they will not honor any claim made for any damage caused by your home’s open fire
  

• ·         Brilliant though the fire department are, have you seen the mess left behind when they have had to extinguish a chimney fire.

Even more important than having your chimney cleaned, is to have it inspected by a Professional Chimney Sweep.  Here are several reasons why it is important to have your fireplace and chimney Inspected:

• TheAlberta fire code states that all vents and flues on sollid fuel burning appliances are to be inspected at least once per year.
  

AFC 2.6.1.4. Chimneys, Flues and Flue Pipes

• Birds, squirells or other critters can nest up in your wood burning unit.  Lighting a fire will likely cook up a dinner that your guests would likely not approve.

• There are many components of a chimney that can become damaged over time.  Given the nature of a fireplace, it is very important to ensure that the unit is in safe operational order
  

So, now that we have the chimney swept and inspected, how about lighting your fire. Yes, most of you who grew up with an open fire will know the drill. Newspaper, firelighters, kindling, to get a hot base, and logs. Light the newspaper and stand back. Now depending on the type of property you live in, the fire may or may not burst into life and may or may not spew forth billows of smoke as it struggles to get going. If you have trouble getting the fire to light quickly. Consider the following: More on smoking problems  

• ·         Do you live in a modern house with tightly fitting doors and double glazed windows? If so, there will be insufficient circulation of air in the room and therefore the fire will struggle to get going. This is also one of the main reasons you will get smoke billowing out of the chimney back into the room
  

• ·         Before lighting the fire, open a window to let some air in. Once the fire is roaring then close the window but leave trickle vents open to allow for some fresh air to enter the room
  

• ·         If the fire still struggles to draw, consider fitting a cowl to catch most of the expelled smoke and to help with air circulation
  

·         Use the right wood. For kindling and to get the fire started, a softwood such as cedar, poplar, spruce, or even pine. However seasoned hardwood or semi-hardwoods are better for logs. Ensure that all wood burned is seasoned as if not, greater resin deposits can form in your chimney and cause fires. Oak, beech, birch, and maple are popular woods for open fires. But in Alberta, most people use Birch or Larch.  Do not use yew on an open fire as it has toxic fumes!

Of course open fires are more for aesthetics than practicality.  An extract in an article from the Yukon Housing Corporation states that “Conventional wood-burning fireplaces don’t heat a home effectively. Tests show that they can cause major heat loss by drawing heated air out of the house while delivering little heat to the room. This problem can actually make the house feel drafty while the fireplace is operating and can result in a near- or below-zero efficiency when it is cold outside.”

Here are some final useful tips to help you enjoy your fire even more:

• ·         Make sure you put a spark guard and not just a fire screen in front of your fire. If there are young children in the house, use a child-friendly fire guard as well
  

• ·         For extra floor protection in front of your fire, have a non combustible material installed instead of carpet, hard wood flooring etc.  
  

• ·         Make sure you have smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors fitted, as well as a fire extinguisher and not just in the room where you have a fire.
  

At Home Service Pro what we don’t know about open fires isn’t really worth knowing, and we are always happy to ensure that you are making the most of your own open fire. If you live in or around Calgary,Edmonton or other places in Alberta, and want total peace of mind that everything is as it should be, need your chimney sweeping, or just want some advice, then please feel free to get in touch any time.