Using A Woodstove Or Fireplace This Winter? Then Read These Safety Tips!
With autumn upon us and temperatures beginning to drop, Mainers will soon begin to heat their homes. And with the increased cost in heating oil, residents will be looking for other ways to keep warm.
The two most common alternative sources of heat in Maine are the woodstove and fireplace. Both can be effective and cost efficient ways of heating your home, however, safety precautions must be taken in order for them to be used properly.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency offers the following tips on how to properly use and maintain a woodstove or fireplace:
- Have your chimney inspected. Some fire departments offer free inspections, and most businesses that sell woodstoves also do inspections.
- Clear the surrounding area near the woodstove or fireplace. Nothing should be within 36 inches of the stove, including other pieces of wood.
- Open the dampers before starting a fire.
- Use paper and kindling to start a fire. Avoid using lighter fluid, kerosene, or gasoline.
- Burn seasoned wood, as green wood creates buildup of creosote which can cause chimney fires. Properly seasoned wood is darker and sounds hollow when smacked against another piece of wood.
- Do not have an oil-burning furnace and a fireplace in the same space.
- Build small, hot fires. A smoldering fire is an unsafe fire.
- Placing grates and screens across the front of a fireplace prevents errant sparks from flying out.
- You should never smell smoke in your house. The odor of smoke in your home indicates that the woodstove or fireplace is not operating efficiently, and is unhealthful when inhaled.
- Never leave a fire unattended.
- Do not burn garbage, cardboard, plastics, or painted, pressure treated, wet, or rotted wood. And only bring inside enough wood for one day to limit potential allergy-causing mold spores from circulating indoors.
- Clean ashes once a week and store in a metal container away from your home and combustibles.
- Check smoke detectors.
- Keep a fire extinguisher nearby.
- Have a fire escape plan for the family and practice it. It can save lives.
So whether you’re using oil, gas, electricity, or wood to heat your home, take the proper safety precautions to ensure that you will have a safe and warm winter. Because the more efficient your setup is, the more money you’re likely to save on heat during the winter, which is something everyone will feel warmly about.
Now go get cozy and throw another log on the fire!
