Hello my fellow Arizonans, well we have made it to November! And with that comes the long awaited “cooler” temperatures. As I was out trick-or-treating the other night with the kids I saw many families out in braving the freezing cold 60 degree weather and a few of them even had some sort of fire pit/ chiminea burning (I am assuming to avoid frostbite from the sub 70 degree temperatures). This made me think that it’s a perfect time to discuss fireplace/ chimney safety and what you as a home owner can do to help ensure you and your family stay safe this holiday season.
Use Common Sense!!!!! Most of the fireplaces I see during home inspections in the metro Phoenix area are NOT designed for large fires, or fires that actually heat the home, the typical central Arizona fireplace is functional, but mostly designed for what I call “aesthetic fires” so PLEASE DO NOT TRY TO HAVE A BON-FIRE IN YOUR SMALL AZ FIREPLACE!!!!
“Typical” use of a metro phoenix fireplace
Alright, now that that is out of the way, here are some quick tips I have for you-
First things first! Open up those eyes of yours and take a look around! Go outside (don’t worry, it’s safe, it’s no longer 114 degrees!) and do a visual inspection of the outside of your chimney and the surrounding area. A few things to look for are:
Vegetation
Rain cap/ spark arrestor
Next we will take an interior look at your fireplace/ chimney; below I’ve listed some of the more common things to look for:
Nice view of interior of fireplace taken with my camera
There you have it! 15 minutes of your time to help ensure your world is a safer place. And as always, this is just the tip of the iceberg, so if you have any concerns or questions or if you need a great referral for a contractor who can service or repair or service your fireplace or chimney please feel free to contact us any time!
Most manufacturers and builders recommend chimneys and fireplaces be checked/ serviced annually by a qualified, licensed contractor. Please consult your purchase literature for further information on service recommendations.