While it may seem convenient, tossing the Saturday morning newspaper or a plastic sandwich wrapper into the fireplace can have adverse effects on you and your family. From the wood fireplace sales experts at Hi-Tech Appliance, here are the 5 things you should never burn in your fireplace:
Wet Wood
This seems like a silly thing to burn, but you’d be surprised how easily saturated wood catches fire. Wet wood produces a large amount of smoke when burnt. This smoke builds up on the chimney walls and creates a dangerous layer of flammable creosote. Wood taken from living trees, also known as “green wood,” can have a similar effect.
To get the most out of your wood-burning fireplace, make sure you aren’t burning anything you shouldn’t be.
Plastics
They may produce a captivating rainbow of color, but don’t let the pretty sight fool you. When burnt, plastics are toxic. They release toxic gases, like heavy metals and particulates, dangerous to you and your family.
Accelerants
It might make life a little easier, but pouring an accelerant, like gasoline, hairspray, or alcohol, onto the fire is extremely hazardous. These can cause startling, high-temperature flare-ups that can jump out of the fireplace, and overheat the chimney and surrounding furniture. This is one fire hazard you can easily avoid.
Charcoal
Barbeques and fireplaces are not interchangeable when it comes to burning material. Charcoal used in wood-fired pizza ovens should not be used as fodder in the fireplace. When burned, charcoal releases carbon monoxide; a flammable gas deadly when released in confined places.
Christmas Trees
The season for twinkling lights and sweet-smelling spruce trees is just around the corner. Once the baubles and tinsel are off, a Christmas tree appears to be perfect for burning. Unfortunately, evergreens contain high concentrations of resin, which burns, pops, and has the potential to cause a chimney fire.
The best place in town for wood fireplace sales is Hi-Tech Appliance. From pellet fireplace sales to veneer stone sales, our top quality products and services help you create the perfect fireplace for your Louisville, CO, home.
