Your Place: Keeping the home fires burning safely during the holidays

Your Place: Keeping the home fires burning safely during the holidays By ALAN J. HEAVENS - The Philadelphia Inquirer By ALAN J. HEAVENS E-Mail Print Text Size: tool name close tool goes here Holiday safety tips from the Chimney Safety Institute of America start this week's column. Each year, 27,000 house fires start in chimneys or Fireplaces, while nearly 16,000 fires begin in clothes dryers, according to Consumer Product Safety Commission. That's roughly 43,000 house fires a year that can be prevented. The Chimney Safety Institute of America and the National Fire Protection Association recommend that all chimneys, Fireplaces and dryer vents be inspected at least annually. "Many homeowners think their chimney only needs to be cleaned and inspected if they burn wood in their Fireplaces or wood stoves," said the institute's Ashley Eldridge, "but almost all heating appliances, whether they burn gas, oil, wood or coal, rely on the chimney to safely carry toxic gases produced by the heating system of the house." Lint and other debris that build up in clothes dryer vents can also create potentially hazardous conditions including carbon monoxide intrusion and the possibility for exhaust fires. "When shifting into home-improvement mode or preparing homes for winter, homeowners tend to f
Your Place: Keeping the home fires burning safely during the holidays By ALAN J. HEAVENS - The Philadelphia Inquirer By ALAN J. HEAVENS E-Mail Print Text Size: tool name close tool goes here Holiday safety tips from the Chimney Safety Institute of America start this week's column. Each year, 27,000 ...