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fireplace maintenance and safety

Understanding the Need for Fireplace Maintenance and Safety

A fireplace at home and outside is an immense source of warmth and relaxation both for the family members and guests.

The components of the fireplace, the grates, chimney, caps, gaskets, inserts and so on suffer wear and tear in course of time. They lose their efficiency if they are not properly maintained through repair and replacement. Besides causing the sooty smoke to enter the room and cause pollution, the fireplace consumes more fuel and becomes more uneconomical.

Here are certain check points for a gas fireplace:

Conduct a safety check for carbon monoxide-CO.
Check the leakage points in the log set and burner pan and the gas line pressure.
Ensure that the burners and controls are clean.
The pilot assembly/spark ignition system should be cleaned and checked.
The vent and the diverter need your attention quite frequently.
Check the power vent and fan kit, if applicable.
Use an approved cleaner to clean the glass window. The base of the unit may be cleaned manually or using vacuum cleaner.

Moisture

Your gas logs may create moisture which is an essential byproduct of combustion. If you have vented gas logs, they allow most of the moisture to go out through the vents. When you use vent free gas logs the extra moisture enters your house.

The moisture can be a welcome entrant during the dry winter months. But, if you have a humidifier in your house, the extra moisture can appear as condensation on cold windows.

Fireplace guards

Use fireplace guards to ensure the safety of the children as they are prone to fire hazards from the fireplaces. Fireguards are made from thick molded cushiony closed cell foam which sticks to the fireplace edges. They are also designed to fit securely to the brick or stone hearths. They can both prevent injuries and soften the falls against the sharp and rough edges. The foam padding comes in suitable colors that blend with most rooms without ruining the décor. The pads can also be removed if necessary.

Smoke Alarms

There is no smoke without fire as they say. A smoke alarm is a great way to warn against the possibility of fire. Hundreds of deaths and injuries take place every year due to home fires. These incidents can be prevented if smoke alarms are installed as a preventive measure against the fire.

What are smoke alarms?

Smoke alarms are gadgets that can detect a fire in its early stage and ring an alarm. They are usually hand sized and are fixed on the ceiling. An alarm provides preparation time for you and your family to quit your house for safety.

There are several types of smoke alarms in the market, most important of them are of three types.

First type of smoke alarms is designed on ionization. They are the cheapest of the three types. They detect small particles of smoke that are created by flaming fires that are caused from chip pans. They detect the fire before the smoke becomes too thick.

The problem with these alarms is that they are not quite sensitive to slow burning and smoldering fires that produce larger volumes of smoke before the fire occurs.

Optical alarms, the second type, is more expensive but they are more effective too at detecting the larger particles of smoke produced by slow burning fires such as smoldering foam-filled upholstery and overheated PVC wiring.

Combined fire alarms, the third type, can detect slow-burning and flaming fires which are both common types of fires.

Fireplace paints are specially formulated paints that do not peel and blister when are subjected to temperatures up to 1,200 F. Fire paints are available for steel, cast iron stoves, ovens and grills.

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