The fireplace is very essential in a house, especially in countries that face extreme cold climatic conditions. The fireplace structure consists of a small pit of relatively less depth, a burning chamber open from one side and sealed at the backside, and a chimney above the burning chamber to pass in the surrounding the hot gases resulting from the burning. In this pit stored, is the wood or any other suitable burning substance.
However, considering all aspects and keeping the ‘pollution factor‘ in mind, wood is used as a burning object in the fireplace. Wood is easily available in abundance. Those who live close to forests can cut down wood for themselves to bring warmth to the house during winter. Wood is a primary requirement for the fireplace because if wood is not available, there will be no burning, there will be no warmth in the house and the fireplace is of no use.
The wood being used in the fireplace is of prime importance. Only suitable and proper wood should be used for burning. Freshly cut wood or green wood is of no use since it has a high moisture content and the burning process resulting from it is incomplete. Wood with a moisture content of less than 20% should be only used for fireplace purposes. It burns with maximum efficiency and a very less amount of waste of wood occurs, unlike green wood.
Softwood or hardwood can be used for fireplace applications. On burning wood in the presence of air, green wood would give out less heat output and the burning will not be sustained either. It would last for a very short duration. It also gives out ‘creosote’ on burning which is dark brown oil containing phenol as a prime substance along with other hydrocarbons.
This creosote emission from the burning of the wood should be taken special care of because it is the culprit in 99% of fireplace-fire-catching incidents. Creosote is also emitted by other woods (having a moisture content of less than 20%), however, the emission of creosote in such woods is very less and the risk of fire accidents is very low. Controlling creosote emission is the key to avoiding fire accidents related to fireplaces and so frequent cleaning of fireplace chimneys is very important.
The deposits of creosote as well as the black soot deposited inside the chimney forms an easily combustible mixture. A small spark from the fireplace into the chimney can cause a fire in the fireplace and the magnitude of the fire depends on how clean you had kept the chimney before. If the deposits inside the chimney have formed a thick lining, a major fire is likely to occur. As you can fix your home by yourself, you can carry out the cleaning of your own chimney yourself too.
You only would need some simple household objects. The right time to clean the chimney is just during the start of the fall before the winter starts. Look for any breakage or fault in the chimney structure. Remove any obstructions if found in the chimney pathway. Use good quality wood as it keeps you away from the fire risks. Keep good ventilation in the house while using the fireplace so that adequate air is supplied to wood during its burning process. Being present-minded and taking care of certain things can keep you safe while using the fireplace.