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Posted on April 1, 2006 by Deon Melchior | Posted under Home Improvement
Wood Burning Stoves and Certified Fireplaces
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Even if you find certified, tested units you still want to practice safety first to guarantee that your home is safe from fires or fumes. How to use wood burning stoves and fireplaces safely: Using wood burning stoves to heat your home, you should have proper ventilation. At no time should you smell fumes or smoke. Smoke is not healthy when breathed and nor are odors that come from smoke healthy. If you do not smell fumes or smoke then it is a sign that your wood burning stove or fireplace is burning safely and efficiency. Certified EPA units often offer you safety, since the stoves or fireplaces will burn efficiently by releasing around 70% smoke that goes out of your chimney instead of in your home. Properly installing your fireplace or wood burning stove is the start to ensuring that you have a safe home. Stamped and sealed units have environmentalist recommendations that state you should have your unit installed by a certified technician. Technicians licensed and certified will ensure that your unit is installed properly. You will rest assure knowing you have safe installment. The technician will hook up all components, including ventilation to make sure you have a safe, efficient unit operating in your home. Certified wood burning stoves will burn more efficiency. The older stoves produced more Creosote and soot in the chimneys, whereas to days certified units will not build as much. About Creosote: Creosote comes from wood preservatives. Creosote is a thick, yellowish or brownish oil-based substance, which derives from coal tar and used in wood preservation. The oil is a colorless substance deriving from wood tar, and is used as a common antiseptic. When the tar produces in the chimney, it creates a dark brownish to black tar like deposit inside the chimney flue. At what time this happens the wood, pines, resinous woods, when burnt produces a flammable tar that is fire hazardous. In short, Creosote is combustible left over or residue that forms from the gases of wood that has not yet burnt thoroughly. If creosote builds, too much it can cause a fire to your chimney. During the late 90s, over 150 people suffered injuries from this type of fire, over 35 people died, over 18,200 fires started in homes, which cost more than $150 damage to properties, and health care expenses. To ensure that your home is safe, you should have a licensed technician install the unit. Once you have a certified tech install the stove or fireplace make sure to follow requirements and recommendation in maintenance to ensure that your home is safe. Fire officials and environmentalists tell us to inspect chimneys, woodstoves, ventilation, etc, having it inspected by certified technicians and to clean chimneys, stoves and vents annually to adhere to safety requirements. You can hire experts to sweep your chimney, which gives you the advantage of keeping your unit working properly, guaranteeing safety to your home. After your wood burning stove or fireplace is properly installed and verified for safety you want to take measures to prevent fires. Never keep anything burnable around your fireplace or wood burning stove. Always install carbon and smoke alarms in your home to protect your family. Follow instructions when installing fire alarms and carbon alarms to make sure you are protected. Change the batteries as recommended. About The Author: Deon Melchior is the Editor and Publisher of Article Click. For more FREE articles for your ezine and websites visit - www.articleclick.com |
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