Home > Info
Center > Understanding The Reasons For Chimney Fires
Understanding the Reasons for Chimney Fires
Click
here to see our selection of fireplace doors.
 http://www.fireplace-advisor.com/reasons-for-chimney-fires.html
Fire was among the first things discovered by man and it was a
source of light for him after the sunset. It also kept wild animals
of the jungle at bay. Gradually, with the dawn of civilization,
fire has been used for a lot of other purposes such as cooking.
One of the most important reasons for fire is to keep us warm.
It is a cozy experience to sit beside a wood stove or a fireplace
during the cold months of the year.
Fireplaces are a really important part of our lives during the
winter and chimney fires should be avoided by taking proper care
of your fireplace.
The other face of Chimney Fires
Though fireplaces are really comforting, they can be extremely dangerous
if the precautions are overlooked. Sometimes flames and harmful
grey smoke can come out of the chimneys. There have been rare cases
where chimney fires can burst into the home, destroying the entire
room! More frequently, the intense flame of the fire can destroy
the inner structure of the chimney, which will gradually cause major
damage to your whole room.
However, it is only with proper care and the understanding of the
cause of chimney fires that you can prevent these incidents from
occurring.
Prevention is always better than cure
The best way to avoid chimney fires is to follow the method of prevention!
For safety measures, you should always keep a fire extinguisher
handy and clean the soot from the chimney on a regular basis. If
you are not prepared to put out a fire with an extinguisher, close
the doors to the fireplace to cut off the oxygen supply to the fire.
You can use your garden hose to spread water over the affected area
until the fire subsides for severe cases.
Just as a reminder, the temperature outside the chimney also needs
to be monitored for at least 3 hours after the fire has been put
out.
Most importantly, get everyone out of the house as soon as possible
and remember to call the fire brigade to do their job.
What You Actually Need
The reasons for chimney fires can be stopped and also prevented
if you know how to buy reliable fireplaces and wood stoves that
will serve your purpose. The market offers high-tech fireplaces
whereby the soot from the chimney does not prevail at all.
The by-products of the process of combustion evaporate and rise
up to the relatively cooler parts of the chimney and condensation
takes place. This condensed substance is Creosote. All you have
to do is clean up this Creosote on a daily basis. This is because
the flaky substance, which is black or brown in color, catches fire
very easily. Letting it remain will make it more volatile with time.
Another important thing to consider about fireplaces is the air
supply.
Oxygen rekindles fire and one useful way to stop a chimney fire
is to control the air supply. There should be a regulator in wood
stoves to close or simmer the air supply when necessary. Putting
unseasoned wood into the fireplace is also harmful and you should
be carefully monitored..
Finally we can sum up by saying "Dirty chimneys are the reasons
for chimney fires".
To conclude, there are many things you should keep in mind while
you enjoy the cozy warmth of your fireplace, remember, safety first!.
|
