Winter means bad weather in many parts of the United States. And
bad weather means power failure for many people. In cold weather be
prepared to use your fireplace or woodstove to keep your home warm until
your power is restored. What do you need to do to be prepared? Here we
will review what you need to do in preparation along with what to do in
the midst of the power failure and also after the power has been
restored.
Be Prepared! Long before you lose your power you need to
be ready for it. You never know when the power will go out (or how long
before you get your power back). Here's your To Do List for preparing
your fireplace before the power failure:
1. Stock up on whatever
fuel source you use in your fireplace or woodstove. If it is wood, make
sure you have split and stacked it properly allowing for good air
circulation while keeping it dry so it will age properly. This will
allow your fire to burn hotter and minimize the buildup of creosote
while making it easier to start and maintain your fire. Also have a good
supply of kindling on hand such as Fatwood.
2. Make sure your
fireplace or woodstove is in good working order. If you are not sure,
call in a professional to have it inspected. You may have to use your
alternative heat source non-stop for many days.
3. Have quality
fireplace tools, fireplace screen and fireplace accessories. You will be
using them ALOT! If you don't have them, invest in them NOW! They will
make your job significantly easier and fire building safer. Here are
some key fireplace items and why you need them:
a. Fireplace Tools
(Shovel, Poker, Tongs and Brush) - helps in the ease of building and
maintaining fires and the cleaning of the fireplace after use. Much
safer than trying to reposition burning logs with your hands!
b.
Fireplace Screen - critical item to prevent embers from flying out of
the fireplace and still allow that necessary heat to flow into the
room. You want to prevent starting a house fire caused from a spark
flying out of the fireplace and landing in the room.
c. Fireplace
Bellow - building a fire is critical when you have a power failure and
you do not want to be struggling to get it started. Fireplace bellows
easily provide the oxygen rich air that helps to get that fire going. A
good flow of air is critical for a successful fire.
d. Fireplace
Andirons - It was discovered many centuries ago that if your fuel
material is up off the ground the fire burns better and with less smoke.
Andirons keep your logs off the floor of the fireplace and the vertical
front piece of the andirons hold the logs in place and prevent them
from rolling out of the fireplace. Fireplace grates can also accomplish
this task.
e. Fireplace Log Holder - this will allow you to keep
extra logs by the fireplace. The fewer times you have to op
en the door
to the outside to get more wood the better. Every time you open the door
you are letting cold air into the house. Keep it to a minimum by
stocking logs in your fireplace log holder.
Get these items stocked and in place before a power outage so you
can build the easiest, best fire possible when it is critical to have
one.
4. Practice building a great fire before the power failure:
a. Make sure your damper is open
b.
Place tinder (crumbled paper perhaps) on the fireplace floor between
the andirons. This is material that will catch fire instantly.
c. Place kindling such as Fatwood on top of the tinder. This is material that will catch fire from the flames of the tinder.
d.
Stack several fire logs on top of your fireplace andirons or fireplace
grate making sure that everything is spaced about 1/2" apart to allow
for good air circulation. Your burning kindling will start the logs
burning.
e, Light the tinder with a long match If you have a
problem with back draft (smoke flowing into the room instead of up the
chimney), open a window a little before you start the fire to create a
flow of air from the outside to inside and up your chimney. Once the
fire has started and the smoke is going up the chimney close the window.
f. If the flames are not taking off don't forget to use your fireplace bellow to help the fire get going
g.
Keep it going by adding wood from your fireplace log holder as needed
and keep the burning logs stacked properly by using your fireplace tools
to reposition the logs as they burn down and shift. When not working on
the fire keep your fireplace screen in place to prevent fire embers
from entering your room.
Your power is out. Now what?
1. Close off rooms you do not need to use. The more areas closed off the better. Let the fire heat only the rooms you need.
2. Build that fire and keep it going.
3.
Fill containers with water and place on your fireplace hearth near the
fire. This is a great source of hot water for multiple uses while your
power is out and your water pipes are running cold. If you are using
plastic containers make sure they are placed where they will not melt.
When the power comes back on:
1.
You may want to continue your fire as your heating system begins to
heat the whole house. Keep in mind if you have only one thermostat and
it is in the heated area then you will want to open the doors to the
closed off rooms so the heater will kick on. If this does not cause your
heater to start you may need to raise the setting on the thermostat to
above room temperature to get it to start.
2. Once the need for
your supplemental fireplace heat has ended let your fireplace cool
completely (this may be longer than 24 hours) before you clean your
fireplace using your fireplace tools and prepare it for its next use.
There
you have it. With some good preparation, the next time you have a power
failure you will be prepared to use your fireplace to stay warm.
Whether it is a few hours to over a week before you get power back on
(depending on how wide spread the outage) if you have prepared properly
you will have heat.
CAUTION!! Do not bring into your home or
garage BBQs, gas fueled generators, or any other heat generating devices
that are designed for outdoor use. People have died from the undetected
gases given off by some of these devices. Please use caution and be
safe when you lose your power and need heat.
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