Tips to maintain a wood burning fire place

Wood burning fireplaces can be great additions to any home as they provide warmth and look great; however without the proper maintenance can be dangerous and very inefficient. Below are tips from Associated Content - Yahoo on maintaing a wood burning fireplace.

1. Ventilation

Before lighting your first fire of the season you want to make sure that the flue (damper) opens and shuts with ease and works properly. If the flue is not working the smoke will not vent out of the fireplace, thus filling the house with dangerous smoke. Always check the flue ventilation before and after each use.

2. Chimney Cap

Chimney caps prevent any debris or animals from falling into the chimney and blocking the ventilation. I recently had to put a chimney cap on my wood burning fireplace due to snow falling into the chimney area, and also one time, a squirrel fell in as well.

3. Remove ash before each use

Remove built up ash after each use or at least once every three uses; removing ash is simple, you can either place the ash in a metal container and throw it out, or some fireplaces have a built in trap hole to scrap it into.

4. Interior of the chimney

Soot and creosote buildup in the interior of the chimney can be dangerous and harmful to the fireplace; it can also cause chimney fire, and extremely hot fires.

5. Carbon monoxide detector

Although having a carbon monoxide detector might not have been what you would have expected for fireplace maintenance it is important to have for safety. Carbon monoxide is odorless, colorless, and invisible; therefore it is important to make sure your wood burning fireplace is not causing a serious health risk.

6. Chimney sweeping

Annual chimney sweepings are a good idea to avoid any risk that you may not have been able to see from your own inspection. Birds build nests, soot builds up, and sometimes even sap builds up; cleaning a chimney makes the fireplace safer and prevents these obstacles from causing harm.
 

7. Interior and outer bricks

Before opening the fireplace for the season make sure the entire interior and outer bricks are in good order and are not cracked or damaged.

8. Use only fresh hardwood

Burning softwood produces more tar and other nasty build ups in the chimney causing expensive repair, and even unsafe burning conditions. When using the fireplace always use seasoned hardwood.

9. Look for trees that may be near the opening of the chimney

If creosote is allowed to build up it can cause very hot inner chimney fires, which in turn in a worst case scenario can actually escape the top of the chimney. This is a very rare occurrence; however if a tree with leaves (especially in the fall) is near the chimney it does not take much to light on fire. Be mindful of any overgrowth near the chimney to ensure proper safety.

10. Look for anything out of place

Wood burning fireplaces do not require too much maintenance, but you should be mindful of anything out of the ordinary. Do not run the fireplace if there seems to be a problem as it could cause a house fire or dangerous conditions.

Sources:

http://hubpages.com/hub/Fireplace-Maintenance