With cold weather coming, you are probably ready to warm up in front of your fireplace. Not only will you stay warm, but your house will also heat up without raising your electricity bill. Before you start a fire, however, you must get your fireplace ready for winter. Doing so will protect your home from a house fire.
Whether this is your first time ever using the fireplace or if you use it every single year, you should complete the process before using it for the season.
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How to Get Your Fireplace Ready For Winter
Clean and Inspect the Firebox
You only have to clean it if it wasn’t cleaned out the year before. Any soot or old wood in the firebox should be removed. When you’re removing soot, you should wet it down before removing it to avoid having the ash go into the air.
Once the firebox is cleaned, you should look for any cracks or areas that are missing mortar. Make note of those areas so you can have them repaired.
Inspect the Fue and Damper
The flue and damper regulate the airflow inside the chimney. If they are dirty, they may not open and close properly. You should clean them, and then make sure they are working properly.
Inspect the Gasket
The gasket seals the door and should be inspected every year before the fireplace is used. The door should also be checked for damage. Damaged or missing gaskets can cause too much oxygen to reach the fire, which may cause a house fire.
Clean the Blower
Some fireplaces have a blower, so if yours has one, it needs to be cleaned every year. If you don’t, buildup can occur.
Have your Chimney Swept
Once a year, you should call a professional to sweep your chimney. Oftentimes, soot and debris are left in the chimney from the previous winter. When this happens, it can cause a house fire if it isn’t cleaned out before being used the following year. A professional should always do the chimney sweeping because they have the necessary equipment and expertise.
Inspect the Outside of the Chimney
Check for cracks, loose bricks, or missing mortar in the structure of the chimney and the lining. Make a note of anything you see that may be an issue.
Have any Damages Repaired When You Get Your Fireplace Ready For Winter
A professional should handle all of the repairs. Professionals have the proper materials to fix both the inside and the outside of the fireplace. Plus, a reliable professional (read reviews before hiring anyone!!) knows for certain what they are doing. If the repairs are done incorrectly, it could cause a house fire.
Make Sure the Fireplace Has a Cap
Having a cap on your chimney prevents birds, rain, leaves, small animals, and other debris from going into the chimney. You will want to make sure yours is still there and that it doesn’t need to be repaired or replaced.
What to do When Your Fireplace is Ready
Before you light the first fire of the season, make sure your smoke detectors are working properly. If they aren’t, replace the batteries or install new detectors.
Get Your Fireplace Ready For Winter
After that, you can sit back, read a book, and get cozy in front of your fireplace.
I love having a fire place during the winter! So does my cat haha it’s her favourite place!
Brianna | https://briannamarielifestyle.com
Me too!! It is so cozy! This is our first year actually using ours.
Great points, my fireplace at home is actually gas but I do wonder what kind of maintenance I need to do for it.
Oh a gas fireplace would be so nice!!
I’ve just moved house but I really want a fireplace, they make the room instantly cosy!!
Thanks for reading!
This is awesome! We deff have to clean ours out this Fall before we light it!!
Yes! It is worth the yearly maintenance, for sure!
Having a nicely displayed fireplace can seriously make all the difference, especially in this season!
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