fire

Picture this: you’re home on a cold winter night and you decide to build a roaring fire to keep you and your family warm.  After preparing your wood and fostering a strong flame, the house begins to fill with smoke.  Panicked, you have the family stay outside while you see to the issue, only to realize that no smoke is coming through your chimney.  This is most likely due to a faulty chimney damper.  You can think of a chimney damper like a lid for your fireplace.  It is located in the flue (the air shaft through which smoke and air can travel in and out of your chimney) above the firebox (where the fire is made) and is in use both when fireplace is active and inactive.  We commonly think of chimneys as avenues for smoke to escape from your home, but they are also a way for air to come in.  Knowing exactly what your chimney damper is, what it does, and how to control it will ensure better, safer, and more enjoyable fireside chats.

An Inactive Fireplace

Like we said before, when your fireplace isn’t in use, your chimney damper still has a job to do.  An open chimney damper will allow air into your home, so if it’s a cold night and you just can’t seem to warm up, make sure that your chimney damper is closed.  A closed chimney damper will prevent unwanted air of any temperature from making its way into your home.

An Active Fireplace

When starting a fire in your fireplace, making sure that your ch

Many homeowners are wondering this winter how to heat a home during the wintertime using their fireplace. It is really an energy-saving option when it can be done efficiently. In a previous post it was discussed what kinds of wood are good for burning, and many areas of North America are plentiful with forested areas that are full of trees. However, it is important to be sure that it is legal to cut down trees in the area.

Whether bought at the local grocery store or chopped down in the local woods, firewood is able to heat a home when the proper methods are used. Even gas fireplaces are able to heat a home when a couple measures are taken to ensure that more heat is staying in the home than is escaping through the chimney.

Ensure the Fire Heats the Home

Install a Chimney Liner

The chimney liners of Fireside Chimney Supplies are able to prevent the creosote that builds up from causing a chimney fire. The best way to ensure that the fireplace is able to continue heating the home is to keep the chimney in good shape. The chimney liner is a great way to improve an aging chimney or one that is in need of repair from corrosive gasses eating away at it. Chimney liners can also prevent so much heat from leaving the house right up the chimney. As it has been discussed before, a chimney liner can increase the heating efficiency of a fireplace anywhere from 10% to 40%!

Use Seasoned Wood

For wood-burning fireplaces, using properly aged and seasoned wood is a great way to ensure the fire gives off a proper amount of heat. Green wood, or wood has not had enough time since it was cut to dry out properly, is going to produce more smoke than heat, and the fire produced will not heat a home as efficiently as drier wood.

Open the Damper

The fireplace of the chimney is located inside the throat of the chimney, just above the fireplace. It is designed to seal the fireplace shut when it is not in use. When the fire is going,