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19 Fireplace Safety Tips

On a chilly autumn night, there’s nothing like a crackling fire in the fireplace. While fireplaces are designed to provide comfort, warmth and relaxation, if they’re not maintained properly, they also can lead to damaging residential fires. In fact, from 2008 to 2010, over 56% of residential fires were the result of fires from chimneys or flues, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

So before you light your first fire of the season, here are some important fireplace safety tips you need to know:

Ensure all fireplace parts are in good working condition.
Clean out the ashes from previous fires before lighting a new fire.
Always open the damper when lighting a fire so poisonous gases can travel out of your home. Don’t close the damper until the embers have stopped burning completely.
Never burn charcoal, rolled newspapers, plastic, garbage or Christmas trees in your fireplace.
Never use gasoline or another liquid accelerant to help start a fire.
Only use the amount of gas needed to feed the fire in gas fireplaces.
Use a fireplace grate.
Don’t wear loose clothing that can get into the flame when lighting a fire
Use a fireplace screen to prevent hot ash from flying out of the firebox and into the house.
Keep glass doors open while the fire is burning.
Use fireplace tools when tending the fire.
Never leave a fire unattended.
Keep small children and pets away from a fire and never leave them unattended.
Keep firewood, kindling and fire-starting materials away from the fireplace so sparks can’t accidentally ignite these materials.
Keep flammable items (furniture, books, candles and other décor) at least 2 feet away from the fireplace.
Make sure the fire is completely out before going to bed or leaving your home.
Always keep a fire extinguisher near your fireplace in case of an emergency.
Install smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in your home and regularly check them to make sure they’re working properly.

Have your chimney inspected and cleaned annually by a professional chimney sweeping company, like T.J.’s Chimney Service in Greenfield, IN. Two of the leading reasons why fireplace fires occur is obstructions in the chimney and creosote buildup on the chimney flue walls. Schedule your chimney inspection and cleaning today by calling 317-455-5310.

Chimney Caps Help Prevent Chimney & Yard Fires

by TJ Robinson Leave a Comment

Autumn is a beautiful time of year when the leaves change colors to brilliant yellows, oranges and reds. But those leaves eventually fall off the trees, piling up on roofs, yards and anywhere else they land.

Autumn also is the time of year when people start using their fireplaces for warmth and maintaining the right seasonal ambience. But if your chimney doesn’t have a cap, you potentially could develop a fire within your flue or in your yard if a spark catches dried leaves on fire. For example:

Leaves, twigs and trash floating in the air can go down an uncapped flue. This debris can build up in your chimney, causing a chimney fire if a spark flies up the flue and ignites the debris. Also leaves and debris can build up behind your fireplace damper, making it difficult to open. The metal mesh on the chimney cap will stop falling leaves and other debris from getting into your flue and clogging it.

Large sparks and burning ashes from fires in your fireplace can travel up the flue and out the chimney if it’s uncapped. These sparks or ashes can land on dry, fallen leaves, igniting them and causing a roof or yard fire. The wire mesh around the chimney cap, also called a spark arrestor or spark deflector, helps to keep these sparks contained within the cap until the flame dies out.

This is why it’s important to have chimney caps installed on all your home’s flues – furnaces, water heaters, boilers and especially fireplaces.

A chimney cap is a rectangular or round structure that features side screens and a flat or peaked metal roof on top of it. The cap mounts directly over the chimney or flue. Caps can be made of steel, stainless steel, copper or aluminum. However, stainless steel is preferable since it can withstand constant exposure to wind, rain, snow, smoke and other conditions. Also stainless steel doesn’t readily rust like other materials, so homeowners don’t have to worry about stains on their chimney and roof.

At T.J.’s Chimney Service, we specialize in chimney cap installation, and our high-quality stainless steel caps come with a lifetime warranty. A chimney cap can save you potentially thousands of dollars in fire damages. Let us give you peace of mind by installing a chimney cap on your home’s uncapped flue. Contact us today!

5 Warning Signs Your Dryer Vent Needs Cleaning

by TJ Robinson Leave a Comment

Imagine you go into your laundry room to check on the clothes in the dryer and you find that the room is on fire. From 2009 to 2011, on average, 6,000 residential fires were caused by clothes dryers, resulting in $75.3 million of damage, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

When lint and other debris build up in your dryer hose and vent duct, air flow can be reduced or blocked, causing your dryer to overheat and eventually spark a fire. Signs that your dryer vent is likely clogged with excess lint include:

Clothes take a longer time to dry. If clothes are hot and damp at the end of the cycle and require another cycle to finish drying, the vent is probably blocked. The dryer is designed to push the heat and moisture out the vent while drying. If that heat and moisture can’t get out of the dryer due to a blockage, the dryer will work harder, building up heat which can lead to a fire.

The top of the dryer is hot to the touch while it’s running. If your dryer is hot to the touch, it means heat isn’t being exhausted out of the dryer properly due to a blockage. A clogged dryer vent can cause the dryer’s heating element to overheat, leading to a fire.

The dryer keeps shutting off before the end of the cycle. If your dryer shuts itself off during a normal drying cycle, your dryer is overheating. Lint buildup can cause your dryer to work harder and overheat. An overheated dryer can lead to a fire, but the overheat shutoff helps keep the dryer from catching on fire.

The outside dryer vent hood flap isn’t opening properly when the dryer is running. Lint buildup can restrict air flow through the dryer hose and outside vent opening, causing the flap to not open like it’s been designed to do.

It’s been over a year since you’ve had your dryer vent inspected and cleaned. Appliance manufacturers recommend you have your dryer inspected and cleaned annually to ensure it’s working properly. To reduce the risk of dryer fires, hire a professional vent cleaning company like T.J.’s Chimney Service, located in Greenfield, IN, for a thorough dryer vent inspection and cleaning. Our trained technicians can resolve any issues before they become more serious problems. Plus when your dryer is operating more efficiently, you can save on your energy bills. Call us today at 317-455-5310 to schedule your appointment.