Fire safety is important to keep in mind all year around, but can be even more important this time of year when many have large flammable objects in the center of their living rooms. The fire safety administration encourages you to practice fire safety when burning your fireplace. The following steps will help keep your home and love ones safe through the holidays and beyond.Your Masonry Fireplace is quite durable and can give you a lifetime of enjoyment, with a little care and maintenance. Your Firebox probable takes the brunt of the wear and tear to a Chimney, this is due to the expansion and contraction of building a hot fire in a cold Firebox. This is especially true when you fail to use a rain cap at the top of your Chimney. The rain water can pool in back of the Firebrick, creating a sooty slurry that will attack the Firebrick & mortar joints. This is the best tip I can give you, and is the # 1 way that you can protect your Chimney! Install A Rain Cap.
The next item that you should add to your Fireplace is a glass door, this will not only add to the over all heat efficiency of your Fireplace but it will stop the air that you have heated from going up and out the Fireplace Chimney. This will work especially well if your Fireplace has been built in the last 10 years, because it most likely will have an outside air source to provide air for burning the fire. When choosing firewood a well-seasoned firewood is recommended. It will be generally darker on the ends with visible cracks and splits, making it relatively light. It will be easy to start and produce more heat and burn a cleaner flame. this will reduce the amount of buildup in your flue liners and create a safer burning fire. Green wood will have high levels of moisture in it ,making it hard to start with less heat, Try to find a hard wood that has been dried for at least six months and properly stored. Cleaning your chimney at least once every year will go along way in decreasing dangers formation of creosote buildup. So as you can see a Fireplace can not only be a real enjoyment on a cold winter night but can also be a real life saver when the power goes out, oh and by the way that does happen here in Seattle once in a while. All of the things that we have talk about up to now to increase the efficiency of your Fireplace and Chimney can be done by your self for a small cost. As one of Seattle’s best Masonry Contractors we also offer other services for the maintenance and upkeep of your Fireplace and Chimney. Let us show you how to turn your old Fireplace into a beautiful focal point of your home by remodeling it. Russian Fireplace Seattle If you love your Fireplace we have two more ways to make your Fireplace a highly efficient masonry heater that will be 85% efficient.
www.timwmasonry.com
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