Fireplace & Wood Stove

Tips for Safe Fireplace & Wood Stove Use
  • Keep the area around your wood stove or fire place clean and keep flammable materials away.
  • Inspect and clean your chimney and wood stove annually. Have a professional chimney sweep do this work for you.
  • Keep air inlets to wood stoves open. This will help limit creosote buildup that can cause a chimney fire.
  • Use stovepipe thermometers. If your stove or stovepipe is running too hot the thermometer will help you know that.
  • Use metal mesh screens. This will keep wood sparks and coals from shooting out from your stove or fireplace onto your rugs or any other flammable material.
  • Use fire-resistant materials on walls around wood stoves. Metal or stone will help reduce incidents of fire.
  • Don't use flammable liquids to start a wood fire in the home.
  • Use seasoned hard wood. Soft woods and moist or wet wood will increase creosote buildup in chimneys. Creosote, if it builds up too much, could catch fire.
  • Try to burn smokeless fires. Less smoke will mean less buildup of creosote in your chimney, less pollution of the environment, and cleaner air for your home.
  • Keep your roof clear of leaves, pine needles and other burnable materials.
  • Don't leave your fire unattended.
  • Install smoke alarms on every level of your home and test monthly if not more. Replace the batteries at least twice a year. You should install carbon monoxide (CO) monitors as well.
  • Don't burn cardboard boxes in your fireplace or wood stove.
  • Have a fire extinguisher handy in case a fire does occur.
  • Small hot fires are safer and yield less smoke.
  • Clear excess ash to prevent clogging of stove's intake vents.
  • Ensure your stove is placed on an approved stove board to protect the floor. Stove boards can be made of metal or be some type of stone.
  • Start fires with clean newspaper and dry kindling.
  • Stack wood off the ground and cover the top of the wood. Prevent the wood from getting exposed to rain.
  • Plan and practice a family escape plan for your home and family. Plan for multiple methods of escape.
  • Don't use gasoline, kerosene, charcoal starter, or propane torches to light a fire. Don't use charcoal in a stove or fireplace as it produces an excessive amount of carbon monoxide.
  • Burn hot bright fires. Burn hot fires at least twice a day to reduce the amount of creosote in the chimney.
  • Install a chimney cap to keep debris and animals out of the chimney.
  • When cleaning out your ashes always put them in a metal container.