Clinton News-Record, 1984-04-25, Page 51L ^:.tn`«c Al 61.1.914.31.' r•8%C�It ¢.*7.,"7'cCa13 tax.S!d.^a;.cr.u:.aiz6Q eZ4..4..7- • .o.. +. 4 . + .
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Fireplace safety and efficiency tips are offered
free En ergy Go ns erva tio n and R eno va tio n fit
Fireplaces are traditionally associated
with the warmth of family life. But that may
be the only warmth the fireplace addes to
your home. Ironically, a roaring log fire
doesn't generate, much real heat; in fact,
you'relosing more warm air up the chimney
than you're gaining from the fire.
Sealing around your fireplace is one
method of making it more efficient and less
of an` 'energy liability. Even when you don't
have a fire burning, heated household air is
being drawn up the chimney. A lot of the
time and money you've spent sealing air
leaks throughout the house may be wasted
effort if your fireplace remains the
equivalent of a large hole in the wall. Air
leakage around the fireplace itself can be
reduced by caulking the outer edges, where
the fireplace joins the wall. Butyl rubber is
recommended for this because it adheres
well to masonry.
There are a number of other ways you can
reduce fireplace heat loss. The.most obvious
is to keep the damper closed -when you don't
have a fire going. When you do light a fire,
open the damper to its fullest to create the
necessary draft, and gradually close it as
the fire grows and then dies down. Never
- close the damper completely until you're
positive the fire is out.
When you're not using the fireplace the flying sparks. Placing the firescreen a slight
hearth opening can bebkicked to reduce the distance from the opening allows warm air
loss of warm air. You can make your own to pass over it and into the room.
removable fireplace cover from a sheet of Fireplaces need fresh air for combustion,
acrylic or build an insulated plug with
weatherstripped edges which you - can
decorate to complement your room. A more
expensive option is to buy glass doors, which
can also be kept closed while you have a fire
soyou should remember to open a window
whenever you have a fire burning espcially
if your home is well sealed. More efficiently,
you could install a duct to supply fresh out-
side air directly to the fireplace. This should
(though you gain more heat by keeping considerably reduce the amount of heated
them open). Be sure they fit -tightly _against_ _.._._household air being lost up the chimney.
the hearth opening; the metal frame should
be sealed to the edges of the masonry with
'stove cement. Check that you have a
suitably built and maintained chimney,
since glass doors cause flue temperatures to
rise.
Another method of improving fireplace ef-
ficiency is the use of a cast iron fireback to
radiate heat into the room. Or a tube grate,
which is simply metal tubes bent into a "C"
With an outside air supply and glass doors;
the fireplace can become a heat source for
your home. The Ministry of Municipal Af-
fairs and Housing fact sheet on Improving
Fireplace Efficiency includes further infor-
mation on providing adequate combustion
air.
Have your fireplace chimney examined
once a year by a qualified contractor. This'
preventive maintenance is particularly im-
shape. Room airs drawn in through the bot- portant if the chimney shows any signs of
tom of the grate, warmed by the fire and deterioration, like -crumbling :mortar or
returned to the room through the openings- brick, creosote btaildlip-oi°waterdamage: - _
at the top., • - , -The most- efficient alternative to the -con -
Moving your firescreen slightly can be a ventional fireplace is a wood -burning stove.
In the last decade or so, •here has been an
upsurge of interest in . wood :.stoves as a_
source of heat, most often to supplement
some other fuel, like oil. hi -fact, "if you pIaii
no -cost way .of gaining heat from the fire.
While a firescreen is an essential fireplace
accessory, it impedes the flow of warmth at
the same time as it protects the room from
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to introduce a wood -burning appliance to
decrease your use of oil by at least 50 per-
cent, you may qualify for a Canada Oil
Substitution Program (CUSP) grant.
When you're choosing a wood stove, bear
in mind that the right stove is the one that's
the right size for the room. ff it's too large
for the space it has to heat, the tendency is
to build smaller fires. The wood then burns
too slowly, depositing creosote on the flue:
this can eventually create a fire hazard.
The kind of iirood you burn can -also-nause
creosote to accumulate; this is a problem
with green or freshly cut wood. The wood's
highwater content also makes it difficult to
ignite. Try to get properly seasoned
firewood, recognizable by its dried, cracked
ends. • ' -
One of the most important characteristics
to look for when you're buying a wood stove
is air -tightness. Whenan airtightstove is
off, air leakage is kept to a:minunum; when
it's on, the intake of combustion Air, and
therefore the rate -o g; iscbntroiled.
Follow the manufacturer's ifist lation
directions implicitlyand; if necessary, call
your fire department for advice. Cheek with
your insurance company too, because in-
stalling a wood stove might affect your
policy.•
Be careful where you place the stove and
its chimney, so that they're nowhere near
sus h_ combustible materials as woodpanell-
• ing. Inspect'and clean the chimney once a
month in the first year of operation, but if
there's little or no evidence of creosote,
cleaning twice in the heating season is pro-
bably sufficient, after that.
For more information on the safe and effi-
cient use of fireplaces and wood stoves,
write for the free Energy Conservation and
Renovation Kit, Ministry of Municipal Af-
fairs and Housing, 777 Bay Street, 2nd Floor, .
Toronto, Ontario M5G 2E5. r
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