When you’re ready for a nice, warm fire in the fall or winter, there’s little that can be as annoying as smoky air in your home, ash and bark bits in your carpet, and the mess of a wood fire. Fortunately, there are ways around these issues that can keep your home clean while providing you with a safe, warm fire.
How to Keep Your Fireplace and Chimney Running Cleanly
Let’s start at the source of the mess: the firewood. To get a warm, clean fire, you’ll need firewood that is well-seasoned hardwood. Softwood and green wood produce more smoke and creosote in your chimney, which can cause problems with how well it drafts and removes smoke from your home. Cover the firewood in its outdoor storage location to keep it from getting wet, and consider investing in a log sling for carrying the wood into your home to prevent bits of bark from falling off.
The next biggest culprit of mess in the home is ash. Keeping an ash container, whether it’s a galvanized steel pail with a tight-fitting lid, a purpose-made canister, or similar container, close to your fireplace will make cleanup a breeze, especially when paired with a small shovel that scoops up the ash after a fire. However, because ash can contain hot coals for a day or two, don’t use a plastic or other flammable container for this purpose.
A hearth is intended to prevent fires by providing a place for sparks or coals to fall on a non-flammable surface. If your home doesn’t have a hearth or you don’t like the appearance of this type of safety feature, a purpose-made hearth rug can go in front of your fireplace to serve the same purpose. Created from fire-resistant materials, this type of rug won’t catch fire when exposed to the heat of an average wood fire.
By staying on top of these issues and getting a regular chimney cleaning for your New Braunfels home, you can ensure that your fire will be enjoyable, clean, and safe for you and your loved ones. If you need help with chimney cleaning and fireplace repair for your New Braunfels home, the experienced professionals at Wolfman Chimney & Fireplace are ready to help. Please feel free to contact us today with any questions, for more details about our services, or to schedule a consultation with one of our chimney professionals.
Reach us online, send us a text, or call us at 830-620-4335 today!