A-1 Safety Chimney Service, Inc CFS

Chimney Fire Safety

Keep the Fire You Want from Starting One You Don't. Chimney fires don't have to happen.

Here are some ways to avoid them:

Have your fireplace and chimney inspected annually by a qualified professional and cleaned when necessary.
Use seasoned woods only (dryness is more important than hard wood versus soft wood considerations).
Build smaller, hotter fires that burn more completely and produce less smoke.
Never burn cardboard boxes, wrapping paper, trash, or Christmas trees; these can spark chimney fires.
Install stovepipe thermometers to help monitor flue temperatures where wood stoves are in use, so you can adjust burning practices as needed.
Inspect and clean catalytic combustors on a regular basis, where applicable

What to do if you have a chimney fire.

If you realize that a chimney fire is occurring, follow these steps:

Get everyone out of the house, including yourself
Call the fire department

If you can do so without risk to yourself, these additional steps may help save your home. Remember, however, that homes are replaceable, lives are not:

Try to extinguish the burning wood in the firebox with a fire extinguisher.
Close the glass doors on the fireplace.
Close the inlets on the wood stove.

Use a garden hose to spray down the roof (not the chimney) so the fire won't spread to the rest of the home.

For more chimney safety tips, visit csia.org

Don't Forget Your Clothes Dryer Vent

The Chimney Safety Institute of America cautions the public that there are growing number of fire and carbon monoxide poisoning related deaths that are a result of the obstruction or improper venting of clothes dryer exhaust ducts.

To combat dryer fires and carbon monoxide poisoning, the CSIA recommends that homeowners have cloths dryer exhaust ducts professionally inspected annually-and maintained as necessary.

Dryer Location

CSIA points out that dryers have historically wither been located in the basements or on the main floor of a house, and generally within a shirt distance to an outside wall. Because of these logistics, the danger of lint plugging the exhaust duct has been minimal.

But in today's complex and technologically sophisticated homes, many clothes dryers could be located in the inner core of the house in bedrooms, bathrooms, and even hall closets. These new locations mean dryers need to vented longer distances and sometimes even with sharp turns and bends to accommodate the structure of the home. These complicated systems make exhaust ducts harder to reach and create more places where lint can collect and pile up. Because lint is incredibly flammable it posses a fire risk.

Natural Gas

The availability of natural gas clothes dryers is another reason why dryer vent maintenance is necessary. If a gas clothes dryer is not properly vented, it can cause carbon monoxide to be forced back into the home and that can be deadly.

Obstructions

In addition to lint obstructions or improper venting, bird's nests, rodents, and bug infestations can also plug up a vent causing potential fire hazards or carbon monoxide poisonings. Symptoms of clogged clothes dryer exhausts include incomplete drying of clothes at normal temperatures and very hot dryer temperatures.

Recommendations

CSIA recommends that CSIA certified dryer exhaust duct technicians perform clothes dryer exhaust duct inspections. When we inspect a clothes dryer duct, we check to make sure that there are no obstructions and if the installation is correct. We also verify that the correct type of vent is in use. For example, homes with plastic exhaust ducts are generally upgraded to metal exhaust ducts.

For more information, see The Chimney Safety Institute of America.

The Three Levels of Inspection

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)'s 211 (Standard for Chimneys, Fireplaces, Vents, and Solid Fuel Burning Appliances) is the standard on which the CSIA Certified Chimney Sweeps base their inspections on. This standard classifies chimney and venting system inspections into three levels - Level I, Level II, Level III. Each level of inspection has a specific scope of work and specific criteria.

Level I Inspection

This inspection is recommended when the homeowner is planning to maintain its current use. In general most inspections are level I. In a level I inspection a CSIA certified technician verifies that the chimney structure is sound and that the chimney is up to date on all accessible codes and clearances.

Level II Inspection

The addition of a new home heating appliance or a change in the type of fuel a homeowner is burning requires a level II inspection. This inspection level is also required upon the sale or transfer of property, after an operating malfunction, or and external event that has damaged the chimney or venting system. The scope of a level II inspection includes that of a level I inspection plus the inspection of accessible portions of the attics, crawl spaces and basements. It may also includes a performance test such as smoke tests or a pressure test and possibly an interior chimney video inspection if recommended by the certified chimney sweep.

Level III Inspection

When a Level I or Level II inspection suggests a hidden hazard and the evaluation cannot be performed without access to concealed areas, a level III inspection is recommended. This type of inspection confirms the proper construction and condition of concealed portions of the chimney structure and the flue. Level III inspections are generally necessary when investigating an incident that has caused damage to a chimney or building, or where a hazard is detected and suspected.

Both the Chimney Safety Institute of America and the Nation Fire Protection Association recommend yearly chimney inspections to help prevent fire and carbon monoxide poisonings.