Our Company Blog

A Creosote Free Chimney For Santa

In a few short weeks, St. Nick will head down your chimney to fill your stockings and place presents around your tree. To really be prepared this Christmas, make sure you have a creosote free chimney for Santa. A creosote-free chimney will help you to enjoy your holiday gathers safely!

A Safe Hearth for Christmas

In truth, a chimney does so much more than provide a mythical entryway into your home. As family and friends gather for holiday centerpieces, the hearth often serves as a gathering point. To safely burn a fire in your fireplace, you need a chimney that is free from dangerous creosote. That means scheduling a chimney sweeping and inspection before you light your hearth this holiday season.

Have Your Chimney Swept and Inspected

Each time a fire burns in your fireplace, smoke traveling up your chimney deposits creosote on the walls of your flue. When that creosote builds up to a measurable degree, it poses a hazard to your home and your family. That’s because creosote is highly flammable. If your fireplace flares to an extreme temperature, or if a burning ember finds its way up the chimney, it can ignite the creosote lining your chimney, causing a dangerous chimney fire that could spread to your home, threatening your family and your property. To prevent this dangerous situation, it’s recommended that fireplaces and chimneys be cleaned and inspected at least once per year.

Having your chimney swept before the holidays brings, even more, benefits than preventing a chimney fire. It also keeps your family safe by ensuring that your chimney is clear from any debris or nesting animals. This prevents smoke and carbon monoxide from entering your home. Finally, a clean chimney ensures that your chimney will draft well, that your fireplace will work efficiently and that your home won’t fall victim to foul smells traveling down the chimney.

Let Your Chimney Sweep Help You Get Ready for Santa!

You don’t want to let a dirty chimney destroy your holiday celebrations! Have your chimney cleared from creosote before your holiday gatherings and before Santa’s visits: You’ll help keep Santa’s suit clean, help keep your home and family safe from the possibility of a chimney fire and be able to safely enjoy a beautiful, roaring fire during your holiday gatherings. Let Your Chimney Sweep help you get your chimney ready for Santa Claus and ready for all of your holiday gatherings. Call today to schedule your annual chimney sweeping and inspection.

By Joe Sauter on December 11th, 2017 | Tagged with: Tags: , , , | Leave a Comment

Fire Safety Tips

A fireplace or heating stove can help to heat your home during the cold winter months while also helping you lower your home heating bills. But fireplaces and woodstoves also can bring a home fire hazard. In fact, the majority of home fires occur during the coldest months: December, January and February. Fortunately, you can keep your home and family warm and safe by following some fire safety guidelines.

Practice proper fireplace maintenance.

Fire safety tips - indianapolis IN - Your Chimney Sweep

According to the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA), a good portion of home-heating fires are caused by dirty chimneys, fireplaces or stoves. In wood-burning fireplaces or stoves, flammable creosote can build up on the walls of a chimney, posing a fire hazard. In other types of fireplaces, debris or animal nests can block chimneys. Gas and pellet stoves should have fans and vents cleaned from dust and debris. In all types of fireplaces or stoves, cracking chimneys or malfunctioning parts can lead to a home fire. Because of these dangers, the National Fire Protection Agency recommends that all fireplaces, stoves and chimneys be cleaned and inspected by a certified chimney sweep at least once per year.

Prep your fireplace or stove before lighting a fire.

Before you light a fire, make sure your fireplace or stove has been properly prepared. Clear out any ash from previous fires. In a pellet stove, make sure there isn’t any debris. Make sure your damper is entirely opened to allow for proper ventilation of the fire and to prevent smoke from billowing back into your home. If you have an open-hearth fireplace, build your fire on a metal grate. Glass doors should be fully opened when a fire is burning, and use a metal screen over the fireplace opening to prevent burning embers from flying out into the room. Never leave your fire unattended.

Never burn other materials in your fireplace.

Never burn anything other than the intended fuel in your fireplace. That includes cardboard, wrapping paper, trash, plastics, coal and Christmas trees. These can all cause a flare up that could lead to a chimney fire, or release toxic fumes into your home. In a wood-burning stove or fireplace, only properly seasoned, dry firewood should be burned to prevent an excess of flammable creosote from building up.

Create a safe area around your fireplace.

Make sure you create a buffer between your fireplace and the rest of your room. Flammable materials, such as décor, books, pillows and furniture, should be kept at least two feet away from a fireplace. Consider installing a safety gate around the hearth to keep pets and children a safe place from the fire’s flames or the hard edges of the hearth or stove.

Be prepared for a potential home fire.

Practice recommended home safety guidelines. Keep a fire extinguisher on hand. Have operating smoke and carbon monoxide detectors on all floors of your home, especially outside of bedrooms. Create a fire evacuation plan and make sure all members of the family have the plan memorized.

By exercising common sense and following a few safety guidelines, you can enjoy your fireplace or stove all winter while keeping your family safe.

By Joe Sauter on January 11th, 2016 | Tagged with: Tags: , , , | Leave a Comment