Fireplace Maintenance
Regular fireplace maintenance is essential for its trouble free and cost effective functioning. Fireplace maintenance does not cost much either in terms of money or time, but the savings in terms of money and protection from potential fire hazards are too huge to be calculated.
The first important thing to check for cleaning your fireplace is creosote. It is a brown or black 1/8 inch residue coating which collects on the inner surfaces of the flue liner. This is a very combustible material and can be one of the most common causes of the chimney fires.
Soot
Soot is another name of carbon accretion. The fine black carbon particles can gather and collect anywhere in the fireplace. The fireplace doors, decorative bricks and mantels are the common areas which attract soot build up.
Flue
It is a pipe running between your fireplace and the chimney. It is a favorite spot for creosote build up.
Get a professional to check the cracks or loose mortar around the chimney area. Look for any disfiguring in the chimney liner.
If you find any loose bricks or mortar around your fireplace, it should be mended at once. You can use refractory cement or heat resistant sealer to repair the cracks.
Look for debris that quite often collects in and around your fireplace hearth. It is a potential fire hazard as it can catch the fire in an instant.
Steps To Maintain The Fireplace
Clean the area surrounding your fireplace regularly and never allow any combustible material or decorations to collect closer than eight feet from the fireplace.
Clean your flue and chimney with a hard bristled or a specially made flue brush using short, forceful and plunging motions. This will clean the chimney of the creosote deposits and other type of debris inside the fireplace hearth.
Use a clean burning wood. Do not use pine, cedar and fir in your fireplace. Oaks, ashes, hickory's, madrodes and other hardwoods burn cleaner than soft woods.
Always use a fireplace screen to ensure safety. Keep the trees around the chimney are free of unnecessary and dry branches and foliage.
Install a flue or stovepipe thermometer to monitor the temperature inside the flue.
Do not forget to use the supporting grate when burning the logs. Place large logs on the grate at the back end of the fireplace for a cleaner burning of the fire. Keep the stock of firewood at least 12 yards away from the exterior of your home.
Cover your chimney with a mesh screen to stop the hot sparks from escaping and small animals and garbage from entering it.
