Having a fireplace can make cool nights nice and cozy and give you a place for the family to gather in the evenings. But if you have small children or a large family, it is important that you take certain safety precautions to ensure that no one is hurt. These precautions are necessary regardless of the type of fireplace that you have. Here are some basic tips.
Around the Fireplace
Keeping around your fireplace clean and orderly will be your first step in ensuring fireplace safety for the whole family. If you have a gas fireplace, this will be fairly easy. Just make sure that you don’t have anything flammable near the fireplace. Keeping books, papers, clothing, furniture, and other flammable items a few feet away from the fireplace will keep them from catching fire.
If you have small children, you should take an extra step to keep your fireplace area safe. There are many different ways that you can block your fireplace from your children. Fireplace guards are made for all types of fireplaces and typically erect a few feet in front of the fireplace to prevent anyone from approaching the fire accidentally. Alternatively, you can block off the fireplace area with modified gates.
Protecting Against Air Pollution
Your family doesn’t just need to be protected from the flames of your fireplace. If you have a wood-burning fireplace, you have the added concern of indoor air quality. Inhaling the smoke from a wood-burning fire can cause damage to the lungs over time. If you have a wood fireplace, you should make sure that you keep the flue open when burning a fire so that smoke is drawn out of the house. You’ll also want to make sure your wood isn’t too green or wet; otherwise, it will smoke more.
If you really want to make sure that your family is safe from indoor air pollution, you may want to consider upgrading to a gas fireplace. A gas fireplace burns cleanly with no change to your indoor air quality. It is also much safer than a wood-burning fireplace. If you would like more information about gas fireplaces, contact us today for an appointment with our showcase.
