Fireplace Tips and Safety

There are a few factors you should always keep in mind while searching for firewood to burn in your fireplace or stove. For example, only hardwoods should be used for firewood. For the same amount of heat, you’ll need to use significantly more firewood if you’re using softwoods. It’s important to note that the combustion byproducts aren’t totally destroyed by the lower temperatures involved in this type of burn. Because of this, more creosote is released from softwood, both as gas and as a black, sticky, and combustible material that builds up on the chimney’s walls.

Instead, hardwoods have a longer burn time and produce more heat. This not only reduces creosote buildup in your chimney, but also increases the longevity of your fireplace. You should be familiar with the many species of hardwood available for burning. Hardwoods including hickory, maple, oak, and ash burn cleanly and efficiently in household heating appliances. They generate a lot of heat, are not too difficult to split, and don’t release too much smoke into the air. More creosote is present with thicker smoke.

But keep in mind that any and all wood need drying or seasoning before it can be used. This is also true for hardwoods. The lowest moisture content you’ll find in firewood is in kiln-dried logs, which can go as low as 20%. In most cases, seasoned firewood may be used with just around 30% humidity. Wood for fires has to be seasoned for at least six months and up to two years. Have your firewood kiln dried if at all feasible. This will allow for a faster drying time and more moisture removal. Depending on the kind of kiln, kiln-dried firewood might be available in as little as 72 hours.

Methods for Building a Fire in Your Fireplace Without Risking Your Safety
It takes some know-how to construct a fire in your fireplace that is both secure and enjoyable. As long as you take the necessary measures and use the correct techniques, constructing a fire in a safe manner may be a breeze. There is a new set of requirements that must be met before you can even think of lighting a fire in your fireplace safely. Check out these examples:

-If there is a lot of creosote in your chimney, you should get it checked out and cleaned.
-Reduce the size of the ash heap left behind after the last fire.
-The damper has to be wide open. Both the top and throat dampers need to be open.

The foundation of the fire can be prepared once the above tasks have been completed. A couple of crumpled up pieces of paper placed in the fireplace grate can assist pull in air and push smoke up the chimney more efficiently. The following step is laying down strips of wood on the paper. Get plenty of wood strips ready for this. The most common materials are natural wood or fatwood, which do not contain any chemicals. Now, build a crisscross pattern using hardwood planks on top of this base. This layer doesn’t have to be very thick; the most fundamental layer will do.

The last step is to start the fire. A pair of crumpled pieces of paper, lit. Place the stack of papers inside the fireplace and wait for the chimney to get hot before lighting them. The next step is to lay the crumpled paper sheets on the fireplace grate and set fire to them. Add a few pieces of split fire wood as the flames go to the hardwood. The wood needs to be strategically placed so that it acts as a heat mirror, warming the entire space.

If you have any concern or inquiries but is not sure who to ask for help, you can call Local chimney Sweep Cleaning to help you. We also offer professional Chimney Cleaning Fresno and repairing.

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