If you have a fireplace, you need the following safety equipment for your home:

• Fire Extinguisher: You should have one fire extinguisher for every 600 square feet of living space and on every level of your home. Mount fire extinguishers in plain sight, but do not place them directly over or behind a fireplace.
• Smoke Detector: Since smoke rises, smoke detectors should be installed high up on walls or on the ceiling on every level of the home and in or near bedrooms. Interconnected wireless smoke alarms are available so that when one is activated, they all sound an alarm.
• Carbon Monoxide Detector: Carbon monoxide is an odorless colorless gas that is a by-product of combustion from both wood burning and gas burning fireplaces. Carbon monoxide detectors should be installed on every level of the home as well as in or near all sleeping areas.

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2 Comments on “Fireplace Safety Equipment for Your Home”

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1. Patti Says:
   October 29th, 2010 at 8:10 pm

   I’ve heard (regarding fireplace safety) that once a year you should also get one of those creosote logs and burn it in the fireplace or hire a chimney sweep. Since I live in Southern California where it is cold for only a couple of months, I rarely use the fireplace, and chimney sweeps are therefore, expensive. Which is best?

2. 

   Ben Erickson Says:
   October 30th, 2010 at 12:56 pm

   Hi Patti,
   Chimney cleaning logs claim to work by releasing chemicals that travel up the chimney and react with hardened creosote that has built-up on the inside of the chimney or stovepipe. Subsequent fires in the fireplace or wood stove are then supposed to cause the built-up creosote to flake off and fall down into the firebox or fireplace. Chimney cleaning logs claim to be effective in removing as much as 60% of the creosote from chimneys, but I could find no hard evidence that they actually do or do not work. They probably don’t do any harm, or than lulling you into a false sense of security that your chimney is clean. The bottom line is that you’re much better off hiring a certified chimney sweep to clean your chimney or stovepipe.

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