Christmas trees, Hanukkah candles, holly, and lights are all part of the holiday season, and another big part is your fireplace. Sitting in front of a crackling fire that warms your face and hands with family and friends is another great holiday tradition, but it should be tempered with respect for safety. Let’s take a look at some chimney safety tips for using your fireplace this holiday season.
Clean Your Chimney for Holiday Safety
Cleaning your chimney is a good place to start before your holiday gathering. Has it been a while since you have had your chimney swept? The National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) states that your chimney needs to be swept annually; if it’s been longer than a year, you should have your chimney cleaned. A buildup of a substance known as creosote in your chimney can put it at risk. Creosote builds up in your fireplace each time you burn a log, which is significant because creosote has a low ignition point, meaning it is highly flammable. You could have a fire break out in your chimney that will spread to the rest of your house, but it won’t put you in the holiday spirit. By having a qualified and experienced chimney sweep service clean your chimney, you won’t have to worry about creosote. The chimney sweeps can also find blockages that won’t allow smoke and fumes to escape or Santa to come down the chimney.
Keep Holiday Decorations and Furniture Clear of Your Fireplace
As any fireplace owner knows, embers can hop out of a fire and into your living room, so you should be highly cautious when using your fireplace during the holidays. Never place a Christmas tree next to a fireplace; if a burning ember lands on it, there could be a fire. It only takes seconds for a Christmas tree to be engulfed in flames, and only a few seconds more before the entire room is as well. If you decide to decorate your mantle, try using decorations that won’t catch fire easily, and never hang stockings over a lit fire.
Keep furniture a safe distance from the fire—most insurance companies recommend three feet. Make sure that windows near a fireplace don’t have curtains but blinds. Another safety tip is to place a screen in front of the fireplace to keep hot embers from escaping and to keep pets and children away from the fire.
Think Safety Tools for the Holiday Season
What are safety tools? Besides the screen we just mentioned, several things fit that description.
First, get smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. They will alert you when you of a fire breaking out or of toxic fumes moving inside your home. Place the detectors about fifteen feet from your fireplace for maximum effect. Another safety tool that is important to have this holiday season is a fire extinguisher. Fire detectors can alert you of a fire, but it won’t be extinguished until the fire department arrives. A fire extinguisher allows you to put out the fire before it gets out of control.
You should always call 911 in the event of a fire, but having a fire extinguisher can help.
Above and Beyond Chimney Service Can Make Sure Your Chimney is Safe This Holiday Season
If you live in Southern Massachusetts and want to ensure your Chimney is safe for the holidays, contact us today. We will clean your Chimney to remove creosote, prevent fire outbreaks, and remove blockages that could cause hazardous fumes into your home. So, get in touch, and we will make sure that a Christmas spent in front of a fireplace is a happy one.
