When fall weather arrives, it's time for hot cider and unwinding with the family near the fire. It turns out fireplaces are for more than just warming ourselves up on a cold night. In fact, researchers found out a tranquil night by the fireplace can actually reduce blood pressure and induce relaxation. If you find yourself using your hearth regularly throughout the season, it is crucial to make sure you know that cleaning a fireplace is paramount to you and your family’s safety. Here are 5 tips for cleaning a fireplace to create a safe and cozy environment in your home.
Why Cleaning a Fireplace is a Must
Cleaning a fireplace is crucial, and not only for keeping your home and hearth aesthetically pleasing. There are key reasons why this should be a top priority before breaking out the firewood this winter.
Safety: The leading reason for home heating fires is when homeowners fail to clean the chimney. Fireplace cleaning is key to making sure your fire burns efficiently and safely. In fact, over 24,000 fireplace fires occur annually.
Aesthetics: No one wants to see buildup and soot on your hearth. It will give our living area an unkempt look and sometimes even an unwanted smell.
Convenience: The more often you maintain your hearth by cleaning a fireplace, the less elbow grease you’ll have to contribute to the cleaning process. A little maintenance cleaning will go a long way and save a ton of time.
Check out these five tips for how to clean a fireplace hearth:
You might think that how you store your firewood isn't all that important, but it's of the utmost importance for several reasons. In this article, we will go over the importance of storing your firewood correctly and four basic tips on how you can improve your firewood storage so that when you want to light a fire, you won't encounter any unnecessary problems or issues.
The summer season offers warm weather, outdoor fun, and plenty of backyard barbecues and chances to put your fire pit to use all season long. But what about your firewood supply for winter? You may not be thinking about preparing for the snowy season just yet, but fresh firewood should be taken care of sooner rather than later. Determine when you should be seasoning firewood in order to guarantee plenty of safe and efficient fires year-round.
Why Do You Need to Season Firewood?
Freshly cut or “green” firewood retains up to 45% or more of its moisture content. Too much moisture prevents firewood from burning properly, making it difficult to light, sustain, or effectively produce warmth. Further, burning wet firewood also increases smoke and creosote buildup that may threaten your home and health. Too much smoke and creosote greatly increase the risk of a home fire, while overexposure potentially contributes to respiratory damage, eye injury, and more. In order to enjoy safe and quality fires at home, firewood needs to be sufficiently dry. Seasoning firewood simply means airing out your pile in order to dry wood and bring the moisture content down to 20% or less. With less moisture, energy is spent actually burning the wood as opposed to drying it first, allowing for more successful, safe, and efficient fires.
When Should You Season Firewood?
When it comes to seasoning firewood, the sooner the better. On average, it takes about 6 mon...
Canada
When it comes to seasoning firewood, the sooner the better. On average, it takes about 6 mon...
