Fireplace Safety
Fireplace Safety
Keep your family safe with some simple fireplace safety tips
The Ellicottville Police and Fire Departments responded to a report of a chimney fire at 1-3 HoliMont Drive on Sunday, Jan. 24th. The first crews arrived on the scene around 1:30am to put the fire out. Fortunately, everyone got out safely.
And on the topic of being safe …
As our winter weather turns to some of the coldest temperatures of the season, many who have fireplaces drop a match to let it roar. It is a seasonal act of faith. The warmth and coziness of a crackling fire. Smoke heads up the chimney, sparks are contained.
“During the pandemic, a lot of people were looking to do different projects inside their homes; fireplaces including gas fireplaces are very popular right now,” said David Arcara, Service Manager of Countryside Stove and Chimney in Holland. “A lot of people are remodeling and redoing their homes, getting rid of wood fireplaces and putting in gas inserts.”
But getting that fireplace into tip top shape, especially if it’s an older unit, requires a professional checkup. Enter Countryside Stove and Chimney. They’ve seen a big impact on their business as people look for ways to remodel their homes, factoring in a fireplace. Maintaining and knowing the operation of your fireplace is critical before you drop a match.
“Wood units need to be cleaned at least once of year. That’s not to say the birds or the bees won’t make a nest after the cleaning, but we recommend at least once a year,” Arcara tells ellicottvilleNOW.
While Arcara takes the time to carefully instruct people on caring for their fireplaces, there are a couple of quick, proactive things homeowners can do to stay safe as the frigid temps and the temptation to start the fire builds.
“I recommend to customers splitting their wood a little thinner; it’s going to burn a little quicker but it burns hotter and it burns cleaner,” he said.
Arcara’s other tips: “Start small and burn a hot fire to get rid of condensation in the stove pipe that can choke your fireplace and cause a back draft. Also, burning papers can send ashes up your chimney, embers out the smokestack and those can land on someone else’s house creating a problem … something to avoid.
Arcara‘s advice continued with gas stoves and gas inserts, telling us about the most frequent phone calls they receive. “The propane stoves and gas - those are virtually maintenance free. The biggest problems they run into are batteries being dead and we get calls about pilot lights being out as a result of the internal battery in the gas unit. With gas stoves, you want to keep your pilot light on during the winter months to keep the unit warm and ready to go, reducing a lot of the condensation problems.”
Countryside Stove and Chimney in Holland, NY is always willing to answer questions you may have and are ready to install units this time of year. Find them at 7576 Route 16, phone 716-652-4118 and online at countryside-stoves.com