Old Smokey's Fireplace & Chimney's Blog

Fireplace Safety for Your Family

The new year is right around the corner and it’s that time of year for setting goals for the next coming year. One goal that you should always try to achieve is to have another year of safe fireplace use. This is also the perfect time of year to go over the rules of safe fireplace use with your family.

Who is allowed to operate the fireplace?

Everyone in your family should be able to enjoy your home’s fireplace. However, this doesn’t mean everyone should be allowed to operate your fireplace. Fireplaces are an appliance and should never be treated as a place for children use or play in. Only adults who know how to operate a fireplace should be allowed to start a fire. Explain to children that there are dangers associated with trying to start a fire and they should never try to start a fire on their own.

Know the hot spots

Gas fireplaces are becoming a common fixture in many homes. The firebox for gas fireplaces is enclosed with a glass front. This glass front can get very hot and can cause burn injuries if touched. It is important that everyone in the home knows that they should not touch fireplace glass. If there are toddlers in the home, be sure that there is a toddler gate around the fireplace.

Know what’s okay to burn

There are a variety of different fuels that you can use in your fireplace. It is important that everyone in your household knows that it is only okay to put the correct type of fuel in the fireplace and nothing else. Sometimes children (and adults) think it is fun to throw things like paper or cardboard in the fire to watch it burn. However, putting things that do not belong in a fireplace can be dangerous. For example, paper embers are lightweight and can easily float up your chimney igniting creosote or even floating out of your home and landing on your roof or lawn.

Never leave a fireplace unattended

Once you are done using your fireplace for the day, make sure the fire is extinguished before leaving it. Even glowing embers can shift or snap causing sparks to fly into your home. Make sure that everyone in your family knows this rule and try to have two people check that the fire is completely out before you leave the room.

Remember that another important thing you can do to keep your family safe is to have your chimney inspected annually by a Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA)  certified chimney technician. We here at Old Smokey’s believe that fire safety should be a family affair. If you want more tips on how to keep your family safe this winter or want to schedule an inspection, don’t hesitate to contact Old Smokey’s at 800-876-6539 or visit our scheduling webpage to set up an appointment.

Beautify the Facing of Your Fireplace with Paine ‘N’ Peel

We all like a facelift now and then. Some Hollywood celebrities spend big bucks for theirs. Some of us are more modest about it, concentrating on skin care or conditioning.  What about your fireplace? Your fireplace is an integral part of your home’s décor, and perhaps a facelift for your fireplace is in order.

What could a fireplace facelift possibly consist of?

Old Smokey’s Fireplace & Chimney recommends a dose of Paint ‘N’ Peel Fireplace Cleaner. Paint ‘N’ Peel is a water-based cleaning material for your fireplace. It is effective at removing unsightly smoke, soot, creosote and dirt stains from masonry fireplace fronts and hearths.

Try it. You’ll like it.

Paint ‘N’ Peel requires no additional water for application or removal. It is simple to use.

Old Smokey’s is happy to do it for you, provide guidance, monitor the results, coach you, advise you, assist you or consult with you in any manner, shape or form.

Here are some tips off the top of our Old Smokey’s heads.

Brush Paint ‘N’ Peel onto your fireplace surface. Let it dry. Then peel it off. Presto! Cleano!

Perhaps you would be most comfortable to have Old Smokey’s Fireplace & Chimney take an honest and professional look at the condition of your fireplace before you undertake any Paint ‘N’ Peel operations. We are always glad to do that. We will tell you where you stand in terms of the condition of your fireplace — and recommend any repairs, renovation or maintenance, including cleaning.

Paint ‘N’ Peel can be used to clean nearly all masonry surfaces, whether indoors or outdoors, textured or smooth brick, stone, marble, granite, slate, tile, concrete, mortar or limestone. (Whew! That’s a lot of fireplace variety!) When applied at 1/8″ – 3/16″ thickness, Paint ‘N’ Peel can cover approximately 40 to 80 square feet per gallon, depending on the texture and density of the surface. At 1/8″ – 3/16″ thickness, Paint ‘N’ Peel takes about 4 to 12 hours to dry completely, depending on environmental conditions.

It’s an investment in time and money that is worth it. Think of it as a beautification project or home enhancement or decorative improvement. A little effort pays big dividends.

As we said, we encourage you to call. If you do not want to get your hands dirty, call on Old Smokey’s. Our phones are handy. Call Old Smokey’s at 260-424-0009 or 800-876-6539 to chat about fireplace cleaning or click here to schedule an appointment.

And of course either in the heat of summer or the coolness of fall, it makes solid sense to do your maintenance now before your fireplace and chimney are in full operational mode in the middle of winter.

Engage Old Smokey’s professionals. We are proud of the trained craftsmen who make up our team. For 20-plus years, Old Smokey’s has delivered excellence to homeowners in northern Indiana, northern Ohio and mid-Michigan. Folks from Elkhart in the west to Ypsilanti in the east, from Lansing in the north to Defiance and Fort Wayne in the south know Old Smokey’s. We’d like to know you.