It's the time of year where pretty much any activity—skiing, shovelling, Netflix bingeing—can be made better with a roaring fire. If you haven't already fired up your fireplace this year, here are a few maintenance chores that should be done before you snuggle up with a cup of hot chocolate.
To get rid of flammable creosote build-up, you should get your chimney cleaned once a year. Inspect the masonry and make sure it's still securely attached to your roof. And if you don't have a cap to keep out animals and debris, get one installed.
Take a look inside your fireplace and make sure the firebricks are all intact. If you see a crack, don't try to repair it with regular mortar — it can't stand up to high heat. Call in a pro.
If ashes get hot, they can release carbon monoxide, so make sure you scoop them out before you begin a new fire. Spray them with a little water if you don't want a messy, dirty dust cloud. (Then save them to use in your garden next year!)
Open and close your damper to make sure it's not stuck. If it won't move smoothly, clean it with a wire-bristle brush.
Poke your head up (or down) the chimney and make sure nothing's nesting there. If their house burns, yours could burn too.
If your brass fireplace doors are a little smeary, rub a thin film of tomato paste, tomato sauce or ketchup onto them. Leave it on for an hour, then wipe it off.
If your glass fireplace doors are covered with a thin white film, you can get special cleaner to get rid of it.
Use hardwood that's been aged and stored somewhere dry for at least six months. Soft woods produce more creosote, which means more gunk in your chimney. Note: Never burn treated or painted wood.
If you're used to keeping magazine or newspapers around (or in) your fireplace, clear them out of the way of any sparks once your fireplace is being used again.
To be honest, those traditional sets of fireplace tools aren't all that useful. What you'll really need is a pair of long tongs for moving logs, and a scoop for cleaning up ashes before the next fire. That's really it.
Before you light your first fire, make sure you've got working fire extinguishers handy, and test both your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
It’s the time of year where pretty much any activity—skiing, shovelling, Netflix bingeing—can be made better with a roaring fire. If you haven’t already fired up your fireplace this year, here are a few maintenance chores that should be done before you snuggle up with a cup of hot chocolate.
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