Tips To Help You Properly Maintain A Wood-Burning Fireplace

Many people desire to have a fireplace in their homes. A fireplace provides warmth during the winter, can serve as the focal point of a living room, and also improve ambiance. If you have recently moved into a home with a wood-burning fireplace, you may be excited, but it is also possible that you don't know how to care for a fireplace. The good news is that maintaining a wood-burning fireplace is not overly difficult or time-consuming. Use the following tips to help you properly maintain the wood-burning fireplace in your home:

Have Your Fireplace and Chimney Cleaned by a Professional

Sitting in front of a roaring fire is an excellent way to spend a cold evening. However, when you have a home with a wood-burning fireplace, it is essential to keep it clean. While you should always sweep out ash from the fireplace after a fire is completely extinguished, you also need to have your fireplace and chimney cleaned by a professional. A professional will have the tools and expertise needed to properly remove soot and creosote buildup. Failure to have soot and creosote buildup removed can result in the compounds burning, which can cause a dangerous fire that can burn uncontrolled and spread throughout your home.

Ensure That Your Fireplace Is Safe

If you live with young children or pets, it is in your best interest to do everything possible to make sure that your fireplace is as safe as possible. An easy way to achieve this is by having a heat-safe glass door installed over the fireplace. The glass door will prevent access to the fireplace when a fire is burning, and will also help ensure that all burning embers remain inside the fireplace. Heat from the fireplace will flow through the grates, and you can also opt to have a blower fan installed to help move the heat throughout the room.

Schedule an Inspection on an Annual Basis

A fireplace and chimney may appear simple, but they are more complicated than they look. Thus, it is important to have your fireplace inspected on an annual basis, ideally before you begin using it in the fall or winter. During an inspection, both the fireplace and chimney will be examined. If there are any problems discovered, you will be able to have repairs made before you begin using your fireplace on a daily basis to warm up your home. 

For more information about fireplace maintenance or cleaning, contact a local professional.