A soft cushion, a blanket and chimney: one of the great pleasures in winter. Before starting the most homemade season, have you already checked your fireplace? Do not forget that keeping the fireplace in good condition is essential. Reviewing its conditions and maintaining it well reduces the risk of fire substantially.
These tips are recommended to keep your chimney in good condition. However, if you find that nothing works out, it would be ideal to hire a professional company for Chimney repairs at affordable prices. You must also know that a periodical maintenance is needed to avoid any big repairs.
Check the fire valve
This valve controls the flow of air that passes through the chimney. It is usually inside the duct, and you should check that it closes and opens easily. With this first step to maintain the chimney you will make sure that the smoke comes out correctly through the chimney.
Open windows
This step should only be done if you have a stove with fireproof glass. We recommend that you open the window for half an hour to give the room good ventilation. Good ventilation for good heating. Strike a match or lighter inside the fireplace to verify that the air is rising through the fireplace. If the air doesn’t go up the chimney, don’t light the fire. You must make sure that the chimney flue works and is safe.
Light the fireplace
Here is the best recipe to prepare the base of the fire. The ingredients are: 4-5 sheets of newsprint. You will also need pieces of wood and a couple of logs. The volume of all the “ingredients” to make a good fire cannot exceed two thirds of the height of the fireplace. Check that the smoke rises correctly through the chimney. If you can see the smoke perfectly, it means that the chimney is not well maintained. You should also check the color of the smoke, as it indicates its quality. If the smoke is too black it means that the fire lacks oxygen. To avoid this, it is best to use a poker to lift some logs and allow air to circulate between them. On the other hand, if the smoke is gray, it means that the combustion is escaping through the duct instead of being burned.
And, you are done!
Once your fireplace has passed the fire test, everything is ready for you to sit close to it and enjoy the winter watching a movie or reading a book. Do not forget to spread the embers half an hour before turn off the fire. Maintaining the fireplace will have been worth warming your feet. As you can see, maintaining the fireplace has no secret. It is easy to do.
