How to Know If Your Fireplace Is Safe to Use

Whether you are using a wood-burning fireplace, an electric one, or a gas insert fireplace, it is high time to be concerned about the safety of your fireplace. 

Since winters are already around the corner, you must be gearing up to use the fireplace and chimney from now on, so it’s imperative to ensure that all these things are ready to work properly throughout the season. 

Building up of debris, moisture breakouts, excessive soot or heat, and strange smells from the fireplace are the few alarming signs showcasing that your fireplace may get troublesome in the future. 

If you smell a strange odor inside your home after lighting the fireplace, it highly indicates that your chimney is blocked and the fireplace may not be able to work. This is where you need chimney repair service and fireplace maintenance and inspection. 

But don’t worry, we can help you with the questions that are popping up in your mind. In this short blog, we will dive deep into the lengths of a fireplace’s safety to know how you can determine it is safe for future use. 

Fireplace Safety – What to Know About the Basics

If you are preparing to welcome winter, checking fireplace safety should be at the top of the list. But unfortunately, many people don’t seem to take it seriously enough.

It’s better safe than sorry, that’s why homeowners with chimneys and fireplaces should be concerned about the safety of their fireplaces. We have jotted down a few indications that you must double-check to determine the safe use of the fireplace. 

• Proper Drafting of Flue Gases

Whether you use gas or wood burning or even an electric fireplace, ensure that the flue gasses are drafted properly. As we shared a few warning signs earlier, like the burning smell, falling debris, and leakages, you must make sure that such signs are not appearing while using a fireplace. 

• Clean Flame & Exhaustion 

While using a properly operating fireplace, the flame of the fire would always appear clean. Apart from a clean flame, a maintained fireplace will exhaust the smoke and flames upwards into the chimney and will not produce any burning odor. 

What to Look for Inside a Fireplace

Once you are in the fireplace for a quick check, seize a flashlight and look up in the firebox.

• Flue dampers should open and close properly. 
• Damper seals are closed without gaps.
• Look for debris like nests or debris within the flue and fireplace.

If the Fireplace is Burning

• Turn the gas valve on and off and check the igniter. 
• Logs and stones should be in working condition.
• Inspect the latch and search for cracks within the glass doors.

Follow those pointers to ensure that the inside of the fireplace is secure to use. 

• Visual Inspection of Chimney & Fireplace

To start the inspection of your chimney, go outside your home. Since the chimney goes up to the roof, make sure the chimney cap is securely attached to the top of the chimney. 

If you have multiple stories in your house or a steep roof, use binoculars to check the chimney lid from the ground. These caps keep animals, rain, and snow out of your chimney, while also acting as a safety to keep hot embers from falling onto your roof and starting a fire.

What to Look For Near a Chimney

• A bird’s nest or different particles on the top cap of the chimney.
• Absence of bricks or mortar on or across the chimney.
• Tree branches near the chimney. 
• Loose portions of the steel edging bridge the space between the chimney and the roof.
• White stains at the masonry. 
• Broken/ damaged/ or no chimney crown.
• Damaged/ broken/ or no chimney cap.

Who Can Help You Check the Safety of Fireplace & Chimney 

Hiring a fireplace and chimney cleaning and repair service can help you check the safety of your fireplace and chimneys. You can contact a well-known and reliable service of chimney cleaning and sweeping to check there is no creosote inside your chimney as it is a highly flammable compound that accumulates inside ducts. 

Small accumulations of creosote can be ignited by simple sparks. Large buildups of creosote can cause explosive chimney fires. This is why you need a professional cleaner and the right equipment who could inspect the fireplace and chimney thoroughly. 

Cleaning and inspecting the chimney or fireplace on your own could be dangerous on so many levels as a common homeowner may not be able to remove creosote. It can be hazardous for a common man to clean out the duct on his own. 

Therefore, it is recommended to hire a certified chimney sweep to do the job of cleaning and repairing. This way, you will have the right gear to get the job done.

The best time to hire a chimney sweep is the beginning of the autumn or winter season.

Dangers Associated With an Unsafe Fireplace

If your fireplace is not working properly in any way, then it is high time to contact fireplace and chimney experts at Magic Mountain Chimney Sweeps. If you reside in Maryland or nearby areas then you can contact the chimney experts from the service. The repairman and chimney sweepers will help you eliminate the dangers of unsafe fireplaces that may be hazardous to your home. 

• Fireplace Cleaning Dangers

Fireplace cleaning can be dangerous if not done correctly. Chimney flue liners can be easily damaged if not cleaned correctly, and a fire in the fireplace can easily spread to the surrounding area.

• Fireplace Safety Dangers

Fireplaces are a source of heat, and if not used safely, they can be dangerous. Children can be burned if they play near a fireplace, and adults can suffer from heatstroke if they are not careful. It can also burn the house to ashes if not checked properly on time. 

• Fireplace Hazards

Using a fireplace can also be dangerous if you don’t know how to use it safely. Make sure to read the instructions carefully before using your fireplace, and never leave children alone near a burning fireplace.

Hire the Best Fireplace Inspectors & Chimney Sweepers

If you notice any problems or find any strange issues in your fireplace or chimney, do not get late to contact a certified chimney professional. You can always count on Magic Mountain Chimney to do a thorough inspection of your chimney and fireplace. Be it the maintenance, repair, installation, or cleaning; our chimney and fireplace experts are certified to help you. Call us now at 301-695-6991, or schedule an appointment for chimney sweeping.