Staying Warm and Safe on Chilly Winter Nights

It’s not breaking news that November through March can get very cold for many of us. Around this time, those who have wood burning or gas fireplaces can enjoy the extra heat it provides and even admire the hypnotic flames on those dark and cold winter nights. If you are a fire dealer, take advantage of this joyous time of the year to inform your customers on proper fire safety for gas and wood burning stoves, so their homes not only stay warm, but safe this holiday season.

Before We Talk About Fire

We encourage you to educate your customers about the importance of a carbon monoxide detector near their gas fireplace or wood burning stove. They may not be focused on the dangers of carbon monoxide, that it is invisible, odorless and terribly poisonous. It’s kind of like the Jell-O cake that somehow makes it every year to your Thanksgiving table — nobody wants it in their home. If a wood burning stove or gas fireplace vent becomes blocked or clogged, this gas can leak back into the home. If this occurs, a carbon monoxide detector can potentially save their lives.

Now Let’s Talk Fire

We’ve already addressed the importance of fire alarms during the holiday season, so below we’ll address some additional tips you can share with your customers for the upcoming chilly months. Please, feel free to use any of this information for your own distribution.

Safety Check

Before starting a fire in any fireplace, running through a simple checklist can help prevent damage to your home. For instance:

• Has the fireplace or chimney been cleaned since last season?
• Ensure that dampers are properly installed and working.

See, we told you it was simple. Having a fireplace properly cleaned every season helps prevent the buildup of creosote and soot, which can be highly flammable and result in a chimney fire.

Making a Fire

Properly starting a fire can be just as important as proper maintenance of a fireplace. These helpful tips can help ensure proper fire building techniques:

• Only used properly dried wood – Wood that is too wet or moist can create a lot of smoke and cause smoke damage inside the home as well as potential harm to those inside.
• Open the damper near the stove – this not only keeps the fire going, but also sucks the smoke and chemicals out of the chimney instead of inside of your home.
• Never burn trash or use gasoline on a fire – this is a quick way to start a house fire.

Recap

When you zoom out and take a look at how to help your customers properly care for their gas or wood fire furnace and maintain proper safety tips, we’re really only talking about a five-step checklist. That’s about as easy as that nap right after Thanksgiving dinner. Ok, maybe not that easy…

All November and December we’ll be bringing you some valuable tips and insights regarding home safety and security as it relates to the holiday season. As we move through the season, each of these articles will be made available through our website’s resource center, along with any important product updates or announcements for you through our dealer portal.