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Home My WebLink AboutThe Huron Expositor, 1981-11-18, Page 23If you ,are like many ney fires are relatively wood-burning appliance • harmless and can occur owners, you probably-_.without ever being no- don't give much thought .- ticed, some can cause a to your chimney. great deal of chimney damage and can burn a house doWn. Regular chimney cleaning and maintenance checks are therefore a safety must —at least once a year for fireplaces, once a month for airtight stoves. Unless you are well Creosote is a tarry or informed on chimney flaky substance that is the cleaning and inspecting, result of incomplete corn- the Fireplace Institute re- bustion of wood, caused' commends you hire a pro- by a lack of sufficient .fessional chimney mainte- oxygen. It's highly flam- nance crew. Check the yel- mable and can cause chili- low pages in your phone my fires if not removed directory or ask a-reput- regularly. able woodburning appli- ance dealer for referrals. Although martri-ehi The ENERGY page Yet, chimneys can become a serious fire and health hazard to_ millions of households unless certain safety pre- cautions are taken. The main problem is the for- mation of creosote. FARM EQUIPMENT LIMITED Woodcraft "Family Classic" Wood Stove MENEM PRO HARDWARE 111 King St. Mensal! 211-2015, Beat the cold with the TOYOSET Portable- Kerosene HEATER! It's economical, efficient, and it's portable. llee it in your workshop or basement* Or to keep your greenhouse growingt And if you're an outdoOrsmart, the TOYOSET RSA • 100 la great for your camper or boat. Radiant heat up to 9400 BTUs. That's the TOYOSET RSA - 10G. Beats the cold any time! Enjoy The Winter Menthe with TOYOSET RUNK 410k> MORO UWE 5274320 Stbaforth Get a Head Start in. Keeping Heating, Costs bown install a Entlikiattfainip efiergemosang way to both haat and pool your hone Cuts Winter Fold Bilk up to 31%. Cenfrol Air Conditions your home in Summer *Designed #r built in Canada for the Canadian Climate ler Estimates call "The Bear Pump People" LW. Itiliti$1111111 LTC , tkithwoototoade .03/4661 cicaa.tm colas per sn sr 1, Rf Jest se Is 7 - ceollWitint Be safe .with wo dbumers THE Hums r1,TCR w. NOVEPO ' 14, 1001 SAVE MN We have a full line Hof cARNiOtt woodburning own Fire can be our friend or our foe. We welcome it at cozy get-togethert and to set the mood for a roman- tic evening. Fire helps keep us warm in cold weather. And, it makes our food more palatable, Yet, when not under control, fire and its resulting smoke and gases can be dangeroos to Our health, homes and en- vironment. Now's a good, time to become familiar with some safety measures when using woodburning fireplaces and stoves. The Fireplace Institute—an in- ternational association of manufacturers, distribu- tors and retailers of fire- places, accessories and woodburriing stcoveS— offers the following pre- catitiOns. ° • First and foTemost, make sure your fireplace or woodburning stoye. is ProNAY' ittStalled. Check your local building codes. Question your neighbor- hood fire marshal!. And, if you plan to install it yourself, carefully read and follow manufactur- er's instructions,- • Before lighting a fire, always'be sure the damper is open. Then, light a newspaper and hold it' up toward the flue to counter down-drafts,and help pre- vent smoke from entering the room. Avoid burning ' the coloredpases of news- papers or magazines, as' they can release dangerous amounts of lead. • With woodburning stoves that use a damper, be sure to open the damper before opening the firebox to check the Ore lard Mort wood. This lets accu- mulated gases exit up the chimney rather than possibly igniting or even exploding Ivititthe sodden nis,11 of air tptO the firebox. • Every fireplace should have a screen to stop flying sparks. Glass screens are most effective. • Keep the fireplace damper open as long as the fire or embers burn. • Fires need plenty of Axygen. If you Ilse in a Welltiosulated home, you: might need to open the winch:ow a 'bit, But, don't use fan$ When a fire is going, as they can create a new draft that can pull the fire, smoke and gases, and sometimes ashes into the room. *Don't burn household • trash in your Stove or fire- place. Plastics, especially, can give off toxic fumes. • Keep highly combus- tible materials like paper, fabrics and cardboard boxes away from the fire- place opening. And, don't store kerosene or 'other flammable liquids in the same room. • Don't use charcoal or other starter fluid. Only, use those products design- ed expressly for , wood- appliance lighting. • Dispose of ashes safely, using a metal con- tainer with a lid. • Have your chimney inspected and cleaned regularly,ahout once a, year ,for fiteplaces, Once a mo.nth for airtight stoves. The do,it-yourselfers can purchase cleaning brushes and equipment at fireplace and stove specialty stores. • air tight • wood burning glass 404.4 available n same models.) ICS not new Europe had an energy crisis too Although the mercury is only beginning its annual descent toward colder temperatures, en- ergy-Wise homeowners should be aware that now is the time to --winterize and ward off •higher energy bills. The first step—and one which offers the greatest poten- tial savings—is to see if your attic is adequately insulated. What's adequate? It depends on the climate where you live. Experts at the CertainTeed Home Institute say.that even six • inches (RR l9) of insulation sen- trolly means-an under-insulated attic. If you live further north, where winters are severe, you should have 12 inches (R-38) of fiber glass insulation or more. And, in the south, six inches (R- 19) or less-will be inadequate When it comes to controlling year 'round energy consump- tion. Check windows and doors next Once you've taken care of your auk, the next energy-wise step is to check around windows and doors. Hold a lighted candle around the frames . and sashes of your windows. If the flame dances The failure of home- owners to add insulation is hard to explain in view of the simplicity of the pro- ject. Whether the installa- You may not have heard much talk about the energy crisis until the early 1970s. But, did you know that Europeans in the 1600s /aced much the same problem from. a shortage of wood? Since the beginning 'of man's existence, wood has been an invaluable re- source—providing shelter, heat and other essentials. The supply seemed in- exhaustible, judging from the dense forests that covered Europe and the British Isles. And, as long as the population re- mained stable, there was plenty to go around. But, then came a popu- lation explosion and the Industrial Revolution. In England and' Wales, the population doubled in a century and a half—from about three million in 1550 to twice that. by 1690. The demands on the forests be- came great. Other pressures accen- tuated the groWing short- age of wood: as the age, f exploration blossbmed, wood was needed for ship- building; and following the invention of the print-, mg press, ground pulp was used in paper. Eventually, it was coal that came to the rescue as a more plentiful and effi- cient source of energy, and the crisis came to an end. Alternate sources of energy are again being considered as the solution to our 20th century energy crisis. Ye(1 while energy expertV,disagree as to Whether sitar, nuclear or hydroelectric power is the answer, they all agree on one thing—that energy conservation is the first step needed to alleviate the problem. The Department of En- ergy has estimated that the addition of proper amounts of attic insulation to a previously uninsulated home' can save a signifi- cant percentage of the home energy- that would otherwise be consumed. (Sayings vary. Find out why in the seller's fact sheet on R-values. Higher R-values mean greater in- sulating power.) Yet, in spite' of this, 51 percent homes are "- adequately insulated by today's standards. tion is done by a profes- stalled in a single after- sional contractor or as a noon do-it-yourself project, Furthermore, adding fi- non-combustible fiber ber glass insulation to an glass insulation can be in- open-floored attic is one of fire occur, you can put it out with a minimal amount of trouble by re- membering it takes movement of air to keep it going. If you have an airtight stove, first put out the stove fire with a dry chemi- cal, like baking soda or a recommended fire extin- guisher. Avoid using water,. as the resulting steam can burn your hands. Close all the air controls and the door. lf, after a few minutes, the fire is still going, -or if the chimney is not cool enough to touch in an hour, call your local fire department. If the fire does go out, don't open the door' or damper for at least thirty Wimps, or, the fire will staff up again. Fireplace owners should first put-out the fire in the chamber with a recorn- weatherstrippint Try slipping quarter under the door. Ifit -goes through eas- ily, you need weatherstripping there. Both caulking and weather- stripping are easy and inexpew. sive do-it-yourself- projects. You'll find-everything you need - for the job at a locaLhome tenter. • Now that you hasie taken the biggest steps toward 'winterizing ' pm ham, expects reCOM- mend-the following to save even More: - • Check your furnace for ef: ficiency. • Repair hot water 'faucet leaks. ' • Ptill draperies shut Eitiiigiu. • Open draperies to lei in sun during the day. • Tutn down the thermostat at night and' when you're away from homed • Close the fireplace damper when not in use. Ina recent study by the Na- tional Association of Home Builders, a home with a number of energy-saving features, in- cluding upgraded levels of insu- lation, used 70' percent less energy for heating thane tithilar home without the energy-saving the least expensive home improvement projects. The homeowner will like y recoup the cost thr gh lower energy bills mended dry chemical. If using an extinguisher, try shooting it up the chim- ney. Close the glass doors and/or put a wet blanket over the screen and block off the fireplace opening. If, after a few minutes, the chimney fire is still going, call the fire department. Proper chimney instal- lation is a very, important prerequisite in wood- burning safety. If you're planning to install a chim- ney yourself, completely read the manufacturer's instruction before you begin-and- follow them to the letter. t angeogiumgmggemommammINIIIIIIIIIIMINe If you're energy-wise, now's the time to winterize chimney care is crucial .111Wi•••••••111. DURING THE EWE SEASON 0101 02Etti A itiitith,.610 perfornier with spade! lift,out `cOrtrid30 fuel tank. Heating • ' capacity 0000 BTU's/hour. ' Fuel tank Opacity 14 both ) Continuous heating trivia tours, Site: 18%" ftlyx g443/10010 X 1113he (t)., OHR alatft: Ideal for smaller" , areas where alittlefessoulput Is neetlech yleating,caOcitY etVe 5TU'effictir. Fuel tank capacity 3.0 iltres,'Contin' uctus heating time 14. hour*. 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