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Chimney fires are a reality of life. They destroy thousands of homes and lives. Most Michigan residents don’t even realize the risk their homes could be in from chimney fires. First, let us establish who is at risk.
If proper precautions are taken, chimney fires can be avoided. First, you need to understand the anatomy of how a chimney fire is set into motion. Everybody knows where there is smoke there is fire, so obviously when you burn wood in your fireplace, smoke is released and travels up the chimney. That smoke condenses on the inside walls of your flue liner and is converted into creosote.
Creosote is a highly flammable material that can ignite from almost any flame or spark. The type of wood burned affects the amount of creosote built up on the flue liner. Green, or unseasoned, contains a lot of moisture. This means it takes more heat to burn. Green wood produces more creosote.
Outside temperature also plays a factor in the amount of creosote formed. Chimneys that run up the side of your house are more apt to produce creosote in the winter than one that runs up the center of your home. This is because masonry has a low insulation value and warm smoke being hit by cool temperatures condenses more quickly.
Proper air flow is critical to your chimney. Making sure your damper is open all the way so that smoke ventilates through the chimney quickly also reduces the risk of creosote forming.
You must make sure to clean your chimney annually. When you ignite paper or cardboard in your fireplace, often times small flaming pieces of ash and soot can drift up the flue liner and are more likely to ignite the creosote that has built up.
This information was provided by Mark Maupin of Brick Repair LLC. Mark has been in masonry construction and repair for over 12 years. He has specialized in chimney repair and historic restoration. While mark is not a chimney sweep and does not clean chimneys, he does repair them on a daily basis. If you would like more information about chimney fires, please visit http://michiganchimneyrepair.blogspot.com/2010/01/chimney-repair-michigan.html If you would like information about chimney repair or masonry construction http://michiganchimneyrepair.com/ChimneyFires.aspx
Michigan Chimney Repair Brick Repair LLC is happy to serve the following communities: Auburn Hills, Beverly Hills, Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Bloomfield township, Brighton, Canton, Clarkston, Clawson, Commerce, Dearborn, Dearborn Heights, Ferndale, Drayton Plains, Eastpointe, Farmington, Farmington Hills, Grosse pointe, Highland, Highland Park, Howell, Hunington Woods, Keego Harbor, Lake Orion, Lathrup Village, Lincoln Park, Livonia, Madison Heights, Milford, New Hudson, Northville, Novi, Oak Park, Orchard Lake, Orion, Orchard Lake, Ortonville, Pontiac, Redford, Rochester, Rochester Hills, Romulus, Roseville, Royal Oak, South Lyon, Southfield, Sterling Heights, Sylvan Lake, Troy, Utica, Walled Lake, Waterford, West Bloomfield, White Lake Oakland County, Wayne County, Macomb County, Livingston County Michigan Chimney repair
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