For centuries, fireplaces
have provided home owners with a sense of
luxury bringing warmth and ambiance to homes
around the world. Whether the fireplace
is used for pure decorative pleasure or
as a primary heating source during those
cold winter months, if they are not maintained
or used properly, fireplace and chimney
systems can be safety hazards, and can quickly
lead to tragedy.
Practicing Chimney Safety
is not only important to the overall integrity
of the chimney structure over time, it is
also important to the safety of your property
and family. Unsafe chimney operation has
often been the culprit of house and chimney
fires and many cases has lead to carbon
monoxide poisoning.
Tell
Tale Signs that You Don't Have a Safely
Operating Chimney
Cracked Flue Tiles
Any evidence of cracked tiles
is an indication that you've got
a problem. Cracked tiles are caused
by extreme variations in temperature,
which usually arise from one of
two possible sources: either a problem
with the chimney cap or a previous
chimney fire.
Three different areas need to
be looked at: the top of the house,
the chimney, and the attic. You
have a major fire hazard if your
mortar joints are missing or deteriorated.
If the smoke chamber has a missing
mortar joint, the smoke may travel
in between your walls, rather than
exiting through the top of the chimney.
When there is a chimney fire
that involves heavy creosote build-up,
temperatures may exceed two-thousand
degrees Fahrenheit. These fires
are almost impossible to put out.
If rain or snow makes its way
into the flue, the liner is liable
to undergo extreme temperature variations.
A chimney with poor drafting will
cool the flue gases too quickly.
This causes a build-up of creosote.
Additionally, acidic gases will
erode the mortar and other parts
of the chimney. Chimney caps
also keep birds and other animals
from entering your chimney flue.
Corrosion inside a chimney causes
the masonry to crumble and crack.
Even terra cotta lined chimneys
are not immune to this problem as
the terra cotta has masonry joints
which can be corroded by the condensed
gases.
Chimneys are exposed to the effects
of wind, snow, ice, and rain from
five surfaces. They are therefore
subject to continuous expansion
and contraction due to the chimney
masonry being heated by hot gases
from the fire, and the cold, wet
outdoor temperatures. This repetitive
expansion and contraction creates
a lot of movement, and consequently
deterioration.
Like all structures, chimneys
must receive regular inspections and maintenance
in order to maintain their integrity and to
continue to safety and efficiently serve their
purpose. Loss of property and loved
ones can be avoided by taking preventative actions
to ensure that the chimney is not harboring
the tools to produce a potentially devastating
fire. Learn more about the steps you can take
to keep your chimney creosote free and prevent
house fires with cleaning, maintenance, and
installation advice provided by our expert customer
service team in our
Help for Your
Home section.
Carbon monoxide is responsible
for more deaths than any other single poison.
It is colorless, odorless and tasteless so it
can be harmful and even fatal before you know
its present in your home. This toxic poison
can be prevented by installing
Carbon Monoxide
Detectors . If you install only one
detector, it is recommended that it be located
near the sleeping area, where it can wake you
if you are asleep. A multi-level home should
have one on every level to provide extra protection
against carbon monoxide poisoning. Never install
detectors right above or next to fuel burning
appliances.
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