Harbour Breton's fire chief gives wood burning safety tips

It's that time of year again, the time when the colder fall temperatures creep upon us, and we need to turn the heaters on or light up the furnace or stoke up the old wood stove again.

Many people in the Coast of Bays have gone back to using wood as their main fuel source in keeping their homes warm now. However, before you have to light the stove on a continuous basis as we get deeper into the fall, there are important safety tips you can follow to ensure you're heating your home in the safest possible way.

Reg Bennett, Harbour Breton's fire chief, recently talked about some safety guidelines homeowners can follow when burning wood to heat their homes.

"The number one tip in my mind is to make sure your wood burning appliance is in excellent shape," Mr. Bennett said. "The unit should be installed according to the manufacturer's instructions which comes with every unit bought.

"The unit should be properly positioned, again, according to the manufacture's instructions for correct clearance.

"The space around the stove should not be cluttered, and the stove should be as close to the chimney as possible."

Apparently, a failure to comply with specifications could cost a person their insurance if the appliance caused the fire. The same consequence could be given to those who make their own additions to their appliances.

Mr. Bennett said that another key tip is that people should make sure the wood that they intend to burn is very dry.

He said, "Dry wood burns better, burns hotter and helps keep the chimney clean. Wet wood is slow burning and this is what builds up creosote in the chimney which can lead to chimney fires."

Mr. Bennett also emphasized that people burning wood need to clean their chimneys on a regular basis.

"People should clean their chimneys at least twice a month," Mr. Bennett said. "We've responded to chimney fires when a guy will say that he cleaned the chimney the day before, but it takes some time for creosote to build up in a chimney."

Mr. Bennett said that, on average, his department responds to about 12 chimney fires a year.

"There are probably more chimney fires than the number we respond to," he said. "Surprisingly, some people don't think chimney fires are dangerous. However, people should call us in case of a chimney fire as a precaution. Fires can get out of control very quickly, and what could have been a minor issue can suddenly become a major problem."

Mr. Bennett stressed that no matter what type of chimney people have installed, it is very important to keep the chimney clean at all times.

According to a chimney maintenance pamphlet from the provincial Department of Municipal and Provincial Affairs people should: Clean all connecting flue pipes. Make sure there is no rust or discoloration, and that all joints fit tightly and are secured by at least three metal screws at every joint.

Make sure your chimney is clean and that the liner is in good repair. Rust, separated seams, and interior collapse are signs that your chimney must be repaired.

While smoke detectors in a home are important regardless of your home heating source, Mr. Bennett said that people who burn wood should have a carbon monoxide detector in their homes as well.

He said, "A blocked flue can give off carbon monoxide which is a colorless, odorless and poisonous gas. Most people would be unaware of the problem until it's too late. So, it's important to have one of these devices in your home if your burn wood or oil or propane as a source of heat."

Of course, there are many other wood stove-burning tips that people can follow,

People should not burn garbage and/or plastics in their stoves. Apparently, Christmas paper should not be burned in a stove as, in a strong updraft, a lot of it will go up the chimney and it could catch the chimney on fire.

Mr. Bennett emphasized that if people have their wood burning units installed safely and keep their chimney clean on a regular basis and burn dry wood, there should be no problems at all in using wood as their main source of heat.