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Chimney Causing a Home Fire

by | Jan 28, 2016 | Chimney Inspections, Fire Safety, Fireplace and Chimney

Chimney Soot and Creosote Dangers-10
The idea of renovating a home can be exciting! Being able to put your own spin into the footprint and aesthetics of a house so that it can truly be called home. Of course, that gives you the perfect opportunity to decide what you should do with that fireplace!

You want to make your home beautiful, so why would you want to exclude the piece that is supposed to help centralize the whole house… the fireplace.

Fireplace

Fireplace

Risk of Chimney Causing a Home Fire

As a chimney company, we know how often this happens. How fast homeowners can become overwhelmed with all of the details and options. There are so many different types of fireplaces and countless companies that say they can do the work.

  • How do you know what to choose?
  • How do you decide who to hire for the work?

A good answer to both questions is to consult with a CSIA (Chimney Safety Institute of America) Certified Chimney Sweep. These certified technicians are kept up to date on all of the code changes and follow the most recent code NFPA 211. By understanding these codes and being CSIA Certified, the technician will be able to determine if there is a potential risk of your chimney causing a home fire.

Whether you are just refreshing your current fireplace, or you would like to install a whole new unit, always be sure that any modification is done to correct standards and code.

Local House Fires

Within the past month, there was a fire in a home located in Kansas City, Missouri that could have been prevented entirely if the fireplace had been built properly and met safety code.

Investigators later discovered that the fire occurred because there were missing mortar joints between the flue tiles of the chimney. This created gaps which ultimately led to the surrounding combustibles such as wood studs and insulation to be heated so much it caught flame. This mistake resulted in their chimney causing a home fire which resulted in nearly $150,000 in damage.
This is an Image of missing mortar joints in a masonry fireplace, this can pose a fire hazard

The image shows missing mortar joints in a masonry fireplace. Which can pose a risk to a chimney causing a home fire.

Another home in Shawnee, Kansas experienced a similar tragedy. They had a different type of fireplace installed into the home with a metal type flue. However, the contractor did not allow enough space or clearance to combustibles between the flue and the wooden frame of the chimney. The framing got too hot causing a fire, that was luckily put out a shortly after. Even though the fire lasted only a few minutes, it caused smoke damage as well as finishing and framing damage which resulted in over $20,000 of repair costs.

This is an Image of missing mortar joints in a masonry fireplace, this can pose a fire hazard

Image of missing mortar joints in a masonry fireplace, this can pose a hazard to the chimney causing a home fire.

Choose Professionals

While remodeling your home can be a great deal of fun, make sure that your contractor is hiring a trained professional to install or renovate the fireplaces in your home. This way you will have peace of mind knowing that your fireplace is hazard free and your family and home is safe while enjoying the warm fire.

Keep Your Chimney Safe

If you’d like to know more about home fires, read this article by Marge Padgitt.

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