Fireplace Maintenance Checklist: 12 Tips for Wood-Burning Fireplaces

Important Tasks to Keep Your Home Safe and Warm All Winter

Reviewed by Deane Biermeier

There's nothing like a true wood-burning fireplace in the cold fall and winter months. But unlike gas fireplaces, you do pay for that genuine experience in the form of regular maintenance. You will need to complete regular maintenance throughout the year, but you should also hire a professional annually to inspect and clean the chimney and ensure there is no damage leading to fire hazards. Our guide will help you follow the proper steps for fireplace maintenance to keep your home safe and comfortable season after season.

Fireplace Maintenance Task Checklist

Fix Gaps in the Firebox Brick Mortar

Gaps in the brick mortar on the inside of your fireplace develop over time. With the constant expansion and contraction of materials caused by the fireplace's extreme heat, it's natural that bits of mortar on the refractory firebricks will loosen and fall. Fire can seek a path through the gaps and burn the house's structural elements. Fix mortar gaps inside the fireplace's firebox with a mineral-based filler called fireplace mortar or refractory caulk. For this simple fix, you'll only need a putty knife to clean out the loose mortar and a can of compressed air to blow out the rest. After that, it's just a matter of caulking the joints.

Clean the Chimney

Unlike gas-powered and gel fireplaces, wood-burning fireplaces generate an immense amount of heat and smoke. Creosote cakes up on the inside of the fireplace flue and can accelerate a chimney fire—a terrifying event that must be put out by the fire department. Chimney cleaning rids your flue of potentially hazardous creosote and other flammable debris. The chimney is cleaned from top to bottom, including the ashes in the firebox.

You can clean the chimney yourself with tools but you should have a professional chimney cleaning service or chimney sweep to complete the job annually to ensure everything is in a safe, working order.

Warning

Creosote is the brownish-black oily deposits found on the inside of the chimney flue produced by burning firewood. Heavy buildup stops smoke from escaping out of the chimney. It's also highly flammable and toxic. If you find black flakes of tar in your fireplace, that is creosote chipping off the flue and requires the immediate services of a chimney professional.

Inspect and Repair the Flashing

Metal flashing that runs between the chimney and the roof is your protection against water making its way into your home. Flashing can tear away or fold back from falling limbs or even from pesky birds or squirrels. Weather cycles can deteriorate the seal as well. Inspect your roof flashing to make sure that it is intact. Repair the flashing as needed.

Buy the Right Firewood

Your fireplace is only as good as the wood that you burn in it. Burning the incorrect type of wood quickly dirties the inside of the fireplace and can lead to more frequent cleaning. Though softwoods tend to be less expensive than hardwoods, they burn faster and leave a fine ash that is difficult to clean up. They also create creosote faster. Softwoods include spruce, cedar, poplar, and balsam. Favor hardwoods like maple, oak, ash, and birch for a more consistent, hotter burn.

Best Firewood Delivery Services

Fix the Outside of Your Brick Chimney

With an extension ladder and a few simple masonry tools, you can repoint any missing brick mortar, patch cracks in the crown, and repair or replace bricks. With a caulking gun, caulk around the flue and the crown.

Check the Chimney Cap

A chimney cap on top of your chimney is a protective cage made from steel or copper designed to keep water, ice, debris, and animals out of your home. Check the chimney cap for cracks, dents, and other damage that could compromise its effectiveness. A chimney cap can loosen, as well, due to strong winds and other elements, so securing it before the winter is a good idea. If you do not feel comfortable or secure climbing onto the roof of your house to check the chimney cap, hire a professional for this job.

Clean the Fireplace Bricks

No matter how well your fireplace draws or how airtight your fireplace screen appears to be, smoke inevitably finds its way out of the firebox. Depending on how heavily blackened the fireplace bricks are, you can clean them with mild, moderate, or strong methods.

• Mild: Warm water mixed with dishwashing detergent is an effective grease-cutter. Scrubbing with table salt provides a mild abrasive.

• Moderate: Dishwashing detergent, ammonia, and pumice step up the cleaning game. Ammonia is a stronger grease-cutter and pumice is a harsher abrasive.

• Strong: Thickly blackened chimney bricks may require cleaning with hot water and tri-sodium phosphate (TSP).

Replace the Fireplace Screen

Prevent burning embers and ashes from leaving the firebox to keep your house clean and safe. If you're having problems with embers or sparks migrating to your living area, it probably means that you need a new fireplace screen. Or you might just want to change out your current screen for a fresh look. Fireplace screens can rest near or even against the fireplace, and they come in a wide range of styles and metals. Consider installing a glass fireplace screen. These heat-proof glass inserts hold back most of the smoke while still allowing heat to pass into the home.

Repair, Build, or Spruce up the Mantel

If your fireplace has had its mantel for a long time, it might be showing its age. Or you might just be tired of it. Either way, you can build a new fireplace mantel from live-edge wood or walnut stock. Or you might like your fireplace mantel to look like an old railroad tie—a faux one, of course. If you're not interested in woodworking, consider redecorating your mantel for an entirely new look.

Properly Store Your Firewood

Store your firewood in a rack that you keep outside of the house in a dry area. Be sure to keep vermin and insects away from the firewood since they can get transported into your house.

Hire a Professional Chimney Sweep Annually

Hire a professional every year to clean and inspect the chimney for damage and potential fire hazards, such as creosote. Exterior chimney repair can be a big project, so call a chimney repair specialist or mason if you feel that the work is beyond your scope. Minor exterior chimney defects are worsened by the outside elements and quickly turn into major problems. Wet ceilings, damp attic insulation, and mushy drywall are some of the interior problems that can result from an improperly maintained chimney and flashing.

However, if you notice any damage or a buildup of creosote, do not wait to hire a chimney sweep. Call in a professional as soon as signs appear rather than waiting for an annual inspection.

Install the Proper Alarms

Fireplace maintenance includes installing and checking the batteries and functionality of your carbon monoxide and smoke alarms. If you have a fireplace, you will need to have alarms in place to detect an accidental fire. Here are a few safety tips:

• Chirping noises from the device mean the batteries need replacement.

• Replace alarm batteries annually even if they are not chirping.

• Test alarms monthly by pressing the test buttons.

• Dust or use a vacuum attachment to eliminate cobwebs from alarms to keep their sensors clear.

• Replace devices every 10 years.
  

Fireplace Safety Tips

• Wear protective gear, such as eye protection and a face mask when cleaning your fireplace.
  

• Keep an eye on how close you place rugs, chairs, curtains, and toys from the fireplace. These items are not fireproof and need to be kept a safe distance away from the hearth. Non-flammable hearth rugs are sold at fireplace supply retailers.

• Always test how your fireplace functions after it is cleaned or repaired. Do so by lighting a small log to see if the smoke is directed up the flue. Smoke should never come into the room.

• Stop dangerous embers from escaping by installing a blower with a fireplace-rated glass door, which will also aid with heat circulation.

• Never leave your home, go to sleep, or otherwise leave a fire or any embers in the fireplace unattended. It is critical to always put active fires out responsibly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I pour water in my fireplace?

Pouring water in a fireplace will create smoke that fills the room. Only use water in an absolute emergency to put out a fire though you should have a fire extinguisher nearby for these situations. Water could also damage your fireplace's masonry. The best way to extinguish a fire in a fireplace is to let it burn out on its own and continue scooping the cooled ashes over the hot embers. Adding a thin layer of baking soda helps to snuff out any remaining embers.

Is it OK to use the fireplace every day?

It is advised to abstain from using a fireplace every day. Emissions from wood smoke are toxic and can cause particle pollution, which in turn can cause breathing problems.

How many years does a fireplace last?

A brick or masonry fireplace can last for many decades or even a century if it's well-maintained. A factory-built prefabricated fireplace insert can last between 15 to 20 years.

Read the original article on The Spruce.