How Do I Know If My Fireplace is Safe to Use?

The last time I used my fireplace was back in 1999. The kids and I were sitting in front of a roaring fire toasting marshmallows when a couple of bricks popped out from the back of the firebox and onto the Yule log. Sad to say, our fun was short lived as we scrambled to douse the flames with the fire extinguisher before the house caught fire.

When it comes to determining if a fireplace is safe to use, this is not something you can check yourself. Instead, call a certified professional chimney inspector who has the experience to know if the fireplace is safe to use or not. Inspections range from $150-200 and are well worth the peace of mind knowing that the fire roaring in your fireplace isn’t putting your family — or your house — at risk.

So do I really need an inspection?

The answer is yes. There’s quite a number of things that can go wrong with a fireplace. An inspection is the only way to catch some of the problems. Here’s just a few of the safety issues the inspector noticed with our fireplace.

Crumbling mortar. Because our fireplace is over 130 years old, the mortar which held the bricks in place had finally failed in spots. This problem isn’t at all unusual in older homes, and is not something that can always be detected from peering up the chimney stack. Our inspector had the equipment needed to visually inspect the bricks and mortar inside the chimney, something we couldn’t possible do on our own.

Build up of creosote. Creosote is that nasty, tarry gunk that builds up inside of the flue as the smoke condenses. Creosote is also quite flammable and is the leading cause of chimney fires. Since we didn’t use our fireplace very much, I didn’t think a regular cleaning was necessary. Wrong again! All fire places should be cleaned at least once a year and even more frequently if you burn unseasoned wood, soft woods, or lumber scraps.

When creosote catches fire, the intense heat can damage the mortar and cause cracks. While nothing may happen the first time a chimney catches fire, the second time you won’t be so lucky. These cracks provide an avenue for sparks to reach the upper floors and roof where they can ignite the combustible parts of your home. Scarier yet, the cracks also mean that harmful carbon monoxide can escape from the chimney and leak into the upper floors.

Improper venting. It’s proper venting that pulls carbon monoxide out of the fireplace into the outdoors. When the flue is restricted due to nests, heavy creosote buildups, or faulty exhaust system, the carbon monoxide has no place to go except in your home. Our inspector told us that with more people doing their own repairs to save money, he has seen everything from improperly installed ventilation systems to doors that were too small to allow the proper exchange of air, leading to increased levels of carbon monoxide in the home. Ours passed the test here, but we certainly wouldn’t have known the difference if it hadn’t.

In the end, our fireplace and chimney were deemed too hazardous to use which came as a bit of surprise. While we had anticipated that the firebox would have to be rebuilt, we didn’t realize how much of the mortar has loosened through the entire chimney making it completely unsafe to use. The extensive mortar damage and “glazing” within the chimney is not something that we couldn’t see nor would have known about except for the inspection.

According to the Chimney Safety Institute of America, an average of 25,100 chimney fires happen each year, resulting in $126.1 million in property damage and 30 deaths. With these kind of numbers, determining if your fireplace is safe to use should not be a DIY task but one best left to a professional instead.

More by this contributor:

Rooftop maintenance tasks for the homeowner.
Can you use mill ends in your fireplace?
How to make a fire starter out of dryer lint.

resources:
Tips by Real-Estate-Agents.com: Maintaining Fireplaces and Chimney.
Press room release from Chimney Safety Institute of America


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