There are simple things you can do to lessen the chance that there will be a fire in your home. However, because you cannot be 100% sure, you also need to know your family members know what to do in case of a fire.
Your family is likely the most important thing to you, with your home being close to second. Make sure and take steps to protect what you love.
In our lives, we applaud each other for working late, laugh at those who don’t, and measure our self-worth in time stamps. Meanwhile, those who take the proverbial “easy way out” are ridiculed, criticized and/or passed over for promotions. An online search returns pages of blogs explaining how to kick the habit of taking it easy. By all accounts, taking the easy way out seems harmful and counterproductive. Why, then, do so many of us seem so drawn to the path of least resistance? If the hard route leads to more profitable outcomes, why aren’t more people willing to go that route? Why do we tend to look for the easy way out of a situation?
Chimney Sweeping Logs: The Easy Way Out It’s easier that way, for one. Physics says that the path of least resistance is generally the one taken. The decision on the best method for cleaning your chimney should not be one in which you opt for the easy way. There are all sorts of advertisements for chimney sweeping logs (CSLs) flooding the marketplace today. These products claim to do the work of a chimney sweep, all for a price of around $15 per log. Sounds too good to be true, huh? If you answered yes, you are correct.
Using a log that claims to rid your chimney of creosote may cause more problems than it promises to solve.
What the CSLs Actually Do It really isn’t the logs that are supposed to do anything; it is the chemicals and minerals they’re impregnated with that do all of the work. When a CSL is burned, the chemicals and minerals are carried up the flue by the rising exhaust gases. After entering the flue, they attach themselves to the creosote in your chimney and, over the course of several subsequent fires, break it down, causing it to crumble away from the chimney walls.
What’s in a Name The name, CSL, is a bit misleading. One would expect a product called a chimney sweeping log to actually sweep the chimney, or at least perform an equivalent function. According to the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA), the use of CSLs alone is not an adequate substitute for mechanical chimney cleaning and inspection because they do not provide for the same level of protection to your chimney system. The CSIA mandates that all CSL manufacturers include a CSIA Accepted Product logo, including the following message: “When used according to the manufacturer’s instructions, this product is accepted by the Chimney Safety Institute of America. For improved safety and home heating efficiency, CSIA recommends that all chimney and vented appliances be inspected every year by a CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep.”
This CSIA recommendation of regular chimney inspection and cleaning should be proof enough that CSLs aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. If you want to spend your hard earned money on CSLs, please feel free to do so. However, keep in mind that nothing can ever replace the services provided by a qualified chimney sweeping professional, including annual inspections and cleaning.
There should be no obstructions in your dryer vents. It should be as clear as this!
Excessive lint build up occurs slowly and gradually. You don’t even realize it’s happening. Your dryer vent is one of those forgotten vents in your home that either runs to the roof or through an outer wall to the outside of your home. You think that by cleaning out the lint filter after each load of laundry you are doing your job and maintaining the dryer. To borrow Al Borland’s catch phrase – “I don’t think so, Tim.” What many homeowners don’t realize is the potential fire hazard they’re creating if they don’t have their dryer vent cleaned annually.
The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued a safety alert on clothes dryer fires, offering several important tips for preventing dryer fires, including dryer vent and dryer duct cleaning:
A professional dryer vent cleaning will help to reduce excess household dust and humidity as well as preserve clothing, as the life of many fabrics can be damaged by high temperatures. The cleaning will also allow your dryer to operate more efficiently by using less energy, thereby saving you money.
Clogged dryer vents are the cause of almost 16,000 house fires each year. A partially obstructed vent filled with lint can cause increased drying times and waste energy while a blocked vent may result in fire. Schedule your dryer vent cleaning with Santa’s Friend Chimney Service if any of the following apply to you: your clothes are still damp after a full drying cycle, there is excessive heat buildup in your laundry room/area, or you use your dryer often. We wish you a safe and happy holiday season.