Our Company Blog

Holiday Chimney and Fireplace Safety Tips

It’s the happiest time of year, that time when family and friends get together to spread the joy of the season. You get to buy, wrap, and best of all, open presents, make cookies and candies and all your family’s favorites, clean and decorate to your heart’s content. For many people, this is the best time of year, but it can also be a time of stress. It can seem like there’s not enough time to get everything done or the perfect time to get everyone together. It’s important to find time to enjoy yourself and do things for yourself so that you can alleviate some of that stress and strain, and one way to do that is to delegate! Let someone else bring some of the goodies and let someone else host one of the parties! You’ll feel more relaxed and that will make it a happier holiday for everyone! One job that you should definitely let someone else handle is cleaning your fireplace and chimney. That’s a job that’s perfect for Chim Cheroo Chimney Service Inc to handle. The chimney sweeps at Chim Cheroo are Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) certified, which means that we have access to all the top training and education services in the industry. We take great pride in staying up to date and on top of all the latest techniques and technologies so that we can keep all the great people of Mansfield and North Central Ohio safe and comfortable during the holiday season and all winter long! But there are some other ways to keep your family safe as well.

Scope Out Your Room

Moving furniture around can be a cheap, easy way to make your home look fresh and new. But before you start moving things around too much, take a look at where you are positioning things in regards to your fireplace. Remember that the heat from your fire can cause combustibles to, well, combust. You don’t want to have anything that is easily ignitable too close to the fire. Also, even if you are very careful, sometimes sparks or embers can pop out of your fire, so you want to make sure that pillows, blankets and throws, magazines and books, or even rugs, furniture, or drapes aren’t too close to the fireplace. Kids like to play in front of the fireplace, but make sure that their toys don’t get too close, and make sure that all children are trained in what to do if a fire occurs. Have a working fire extinguisher and smoke detector in the room as well.Safety Tools

You should also have fire extinguishers in other rooms in your home. It is recommended that you have a fire extinguisher on every floor of the house, as well as in the kitchen and in the garage and shop area. Check your fire extinguisher every month or two to make sure that the pressure is at the proper level, that the nozzle isn’t obstructed, and that the pin and tamper seal is still intact. Every couple of years, it’s wise to have a professional check your fire extinguisher to make sure it is in good working condition.

Another important tool for fire safety is your smoke detector. You should have a smoke detector on every floor of your home as well. Having smoke detectors installed outside of bedroom doors can be life-saving, and you can purchase smoke detectors with lights so that an escape route is lit up. Check out the batteries on a monthly basis and make sure to change them every six months, whether you think they need to be changed or not.

Escape Routes

It is especially important that your family knows how to get out of the house in case there is a fire. Plan escape routes from every room of the home, and make sure every family member is aware of those routes. Practice these on a routine basis and plan unannounced practices until you know that every family member will be able to get away to safety in case of a home fire.

Have a Safe, Happy Holiday Season

At Chim Cheroo Chimney Service Inc, our employees are family-oriented. We have families of our own, so we know how important it is to keep those family members safe. We care about each and every member of our community, and that’s why we are so proud of the part we can play in keeping your family safe and healthy during the holidays and all year round. Fireplace and chimney safety is of the utmost importance to us, so give us a call soon and let us come in and inspect and clean your chimney. We’ll look for any areas that have the potential for harm, and we will also offer tips for keeping your family safe and sound in this most joyous of seasons. Give us a call today!

Chimney Health Hazards You Should Know About

Building a fire in the fireplace on a cold, snowy night can be such a comfortable, cozy thing to do. Just snuggling down, watching the snow fall outside the window is a wonderful experience after a long day at work. It’s important that you’re aware of some things that could make this cozy pastime a nightmare situation.

Creosote Buildup

First of all, when you use your fireplace on a frequent basis, the inside of your chimney can become coated with the by-products. These are left when the water vapors and other chemicals in smoke condense on it: creosote. Creosote is extremely flammable, so the danger lies in a stray ember or spark floating up the chimney and setting it on fire. A chimney fire is a scary event, but sometimes a chimney fire occurs without the homeowners even being aware of it. Even if you aren’t aware of it, a chimney fire is a threatening situation because it can cause structural damage to your chimney.

If you do have structural damage, you may be in danger of dangerous gases sneaking back into your home instead of being guided out the chimney. Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas that is produced when you burn a fire in your fireplace, and if left undetected, can cause serious health problems such as nausea, chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness, headaches, or, in extreme situations, death.

Children and Your Fireplace

If you have young children, it’s important to make sure that they are never left unattended while there is a fire burning. Don’t leave flammable items such as stuffed animals or pillows laying around too close to the fire, especially if there are young children around. If you have an upraised hearth, this often gets overlooked as a possible hazard. Young children can fall and cut their head on this; there are padded liners available which can make this a safer situation.

Another important thing to do is to make sure that your fire extinguishers are in working order. You should keep a fire extinguisher close by your fireplace, and give it a visual check every month. Look for visual signs that it has been damaged, like dents or corrosion, and make sure that the indicator on the pressure gauge is in the operating zone. Fire extinguishers should be inspected professionally yearly.

Don’t Forget the Annual Inspection!

The most important thing you can do to keep your fire-burning experience a  safe one is to have your fireplace and chimney system inspected and cleaned on an annual basis. This should be done by a CSIA certified chimney sweep company like Chim Cheroo Chimney Service. They take pride in providing quality service; your satisfaction is of the utmost importance to them. Give them a call today so that your fire-burning nights are worry-free.