Fires and fireplaces are enjoying a renaissance in homes all around the UK, as homeowners look to enjoy the warmth and ambience provided by a cosy fire on a cold winters evening. A fireplace always used to be the centre of the home as it was used for cooking, heating and light. Modern requirements are different and with the convenience of the latest central heating systems, heat is no longer the primary reason for having an open fire, wood burner or gas fire in the home. Today’s fires are more likely to be desired for aesthetic and ambience reasons. In many period properties, fireplaces were boarded up with the advent of central heating, but now, more and more homeowners are keen to get them working again. It would be great if you could remove whatever was used to block up the fireplace and just light the fire and enjoy it straight away. However, due to the inherent risks involved in lighting a fire in a property, there are several safety checks that should be done before getting to that stage.

If you have any further questions about Fireplaces let the team at Turner Baker know and we will do our best to help you. Call on 01432 839123.

Safety CheckingFireplaces

Firstly, the flue inside the chimney that you are intending to use should be swept properly by a NACS or Guild of Master Chimney Sweeps registered practitioner. This will clear any birds nests, cobwebs and loose masonry that may have collected in the flue whilst it has not been in use.

Secondly, some kind of internal test of the flue needs to be carried out to ascertain whether the flue is safe to use. A CCTV survey will immediately show whether the flue is lined or unlined. If the flue is lined, it will give an indication of the integrity of the liner. It has been common practice to line chimneys for a number of years now and whilst advances in technology mean that modern flue liners are available in one piece, early liners were generally supplied as pipes that slotted together and it is not unusual for the joints in these early liners to fail.

###

To read the rest of this Article click here: turnerbaker.co.uk/articles/fireplaces/