Fireplace Safety- Mistakes to Avoid This Holiday Season

1/2/2024 (Permalink)

Our commitment to helping you create a safe and secure home extends beyond our restoration services.

Stockings are hung, tree is lit, a Christmas movie is playing, cookies are being eaten- a fire in the fireplace is the last piece to tie this holiday scene together. However, when safety isn’t prioritized, this scene could quickly take a dark turn. Here are four components to your fireplace and mistakes to avoid with them-

1. Firewood- Oak, ash, birch, hard maple, beech, hickory, pecan, dogwood, apple, and almond are all varieties of hardwoods that are acceptable for burning in your home. Any log that is covered with vines could be poison ivy- if that’s the case, the poison would release a dangerous irritant oil into the smoke. Green or unseasoned wood should also be avoided- as it can release harmful particles. Lastly, moldy or rotten wood simply will not release as much heat and therefore should be avoided too.
2. The ashes- It’s recommended to leave a one-inch bed of ashes on the floor of a wood-burning fireplace but anything more than that needs to go. As it begins to build up, remove the excess ash regularly. To safely remove ashes, use a metal shovel and bucket. Make sure the ashes are fully cooled before throwing them away. Ashes can be thrown in the trash, added to an outdoor compost pile, or even repurposed. Some people use fireplace ashes in their gardens, make homemade cleaning remedies, or even polish silverware or fine jewelry.
3. The flue-The component of your fireplace that protects your home from possible combustion from heat transfer is the flue. Although durable, the flue needs to be inspected regularly. Cracks and tears can allow unwanted drafts and moisture into your home and result in a steady drip down the chimney. A damaged flue can also allow creosote, a dangerous byproduct that comes from burning wood, to affect the masonry around your chimney and increase your risk of a chimney fire. An annual sweep should eliminate these hazards but regular inspections from the homeowner as an extra caution is advised.
4. Fireplace doors-The most serious issue with fireplace doors is thermal shock breakage, which happens when there’s a major temperature difference across your doors’ surface. To avoid this, build your fires gradually and never pour cold water on hot ashes. In terms of the doors themselves, tempered glass, and ceramic glass help to promote hotter flames and prevent heat loss. Before closing, confirm your doors are specially designed to be shut with a fire burning, otherwise, the glass may shatter. Additionally, install a spark screen to protect your home from embers and sparks.

Remember a little precaution goes a long way! So as you gather around the warmth of your fireplace this holiday season, revisit this SERVPRO® checklist to make sure you’re not unintentionally inviting hazards to your home. From choosing the right firewood to maintaining your chimney flue, each component plays a crucial role in ensuring a safe and enjoyable experience.

Chimney Safety

10/25/2018 (Permalink)

As we approach the winter season, the simple pleasures of gathering around the fireplace become more and more common. To ensure the safety of yourself and family members, be sure to follow these crucial steps before deciding to light a fire.

Have your fireplace professionally cleaned – According to the National Fire Protection Association, you should have your chimney swept at least once a year by a professional cleaning service. This type of service entails cleaning inside and outside the chimney.

1. Always cap your chimney – Placing a cap on your chimney prevents outside debris, rain, and even vermin from entering your fireplace.
2. Burn seasoned wood – Not all wood is safe for your fireplace. If you have any questions about what wood to choose, visit the Chimney Safety Institute of America website.
3. Place a small amount of wood in the fire – A small amount of wood generates less smoke. Less smoke is not only beneficial to your own health, but it also means less damage to your chimney.
4. Place the wood on a metal grate – This allows the air to circulate around the logs.
5. Use a guard – Placing a guard on both sides of your fireplace can prevent any sparks from flying out and potentially harming yourself or any appliances that are nearby.
6. Put out the fire safely – After the fire dies down, be sure to bury the logs at the bottom of the fireplace and pour sand on it to ensure that it is out.

Types of Chimney Fires

• Free Burning: Extremely loud blaze with visible flames and smoke coming out of the chimney top.
• Slow Burning: Much quieter than a free burning fire. This type of chimney fire often goes unnoticed since they burn slower and at high temperatures. Slow burning fires are still extremely dangerous.

At SERVPRO of Columbia, Montour & Sullivan Counties, safety is our #1 concern and we hope that you and your family are able to enjoy the splendors of a fireplace fire this winter season.  

Spontaneous Combustion Is Real

3/29/2018 (Permalink)

This garage sustained heavy fire damage due to rags being placed in a shop vac...

Popular projects like painting a room or refinishing a wood deck can transform the look of your home. Improper disposal of oily rags used on such projects also can transform the look of your home but in a very, very different way. You can safely clean paintbrushes with mineral spirits or paint thinner, but what about the rags and other materials that do not get cleaned but just get thrown away? How do you safely dispose of them?

Spontaneous Combustion Is Real

Simply put, spontaneous combustion is a fire starting without a match or spark. It's absolutely real and, unfortunately, not so uncommon. According to a 2011 report by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), about 1,600 residences per year experience fires due to spontaneous combustion or chemical reaction. And the most common causes of these fires are oily rags.

How Oily Rags Start Fires

Products that contain certain oils dry, or cure, through a chemical reaction called oxidation. This process uses oxygen and creates its own heat. If that heat is contained, such as in a pile of oily rags, it can get hot enough to reach the ignition point of the host material; in this case, cotton or whatever the rag is made of. And that's all it takes. Oxidation occurs with or without light, wind, or external heat sources.

Piles of rags are prone to spontaneous combustion because the piles of fabric trap the heat and the fabric often has a relatively low ignition point (the temperature at which they ignite). By contrast, when you apply an oil stain to a deck or a piece of furniture, heat from the oxidizing oil is immediately dissipated into the air.

How to Store and Dispose of Oily Rags

The easiest and safest way to store and dispose of flammable oily rags is to use this method:

• Place the rags in an empty metal container that has a tight metal lid, such as an old paint can.
• Fill the container with water until the rags are submerged;
• Seal the can tightly with its metal lid.
• Take the container to your local hazardous waste disposal center or arrange a special pickup by your garbage pickup service. Many municipalities also host hazardous waste drop off/pickup days). Never pour oily water down a drain in or around your home.

Another option is to let the rags dry fully before disposing of them. The important thing here is to allow the oil product to cure fully so that the oxidation process is complete and no longer creating heat:

• Lay out or hang the oily rags in a single layer in an outdoor area that is out of the sun and well-ventilated. Be sure to lay them on a noncombustible surface, such as bare soil or concrete; do not lay them on your recently oiled deck, for example.
• Let the rags dry fully, for at least 2 days, but possibly longer, depending on the product.
• Dispose of the dried rags as directed by your garbage pickup service or local hazardous waste disposal center.