Fireplace Safety Checklist for Connecticut Homes
Most fireplace problems are preventable with a few habits and one yearly inspection. Use this checklist before the first fire of the season and keep it handy all winter.
Sunday to Friday
Before the first fire of the season, have the chimney inspected, make sure the damper opens fully, and test your smoke and CO alarms. Before each fire, clear anything flammable at least 3 feet from the hearth and burn only dry, seasoned wood. Afterward, put the ashes in a covered metal can outside, well away from the house.
Once a year, before the first fire
Late summer or early fall is the right time. Getting this done before the first cold snap leaves room to schedule any repairs before you actually want a fire.
- Book a chimney inspection; NFPA 211 recommends one every year, and a cleaning and inspection visit covers it
- Open and close the damper to make sure it moves freely and seals
- Shine a flashlight around the firebox for cracked firebrick, open mortar joints or broken refractory panels; see firebox repair
- From the ground, check that the chimney cap is in place and no bricks look loose or missing
- If you heard chirping in the chimney over the summer, wait until the chimney swifts have left before cleaning
- Test every smoke and CO alarm, and replace weak batteries and any alarm past its replacement date
- Check that the hearth extension in front of the opening is intact, with no cracked tiles or gaps
- Make sure the fireplace screen or glass doors are in good shape and close properly
- Stack firewood split, covered on top and off the ground, and let it season for six months or more
Before every fire
- Open the damper fully before lighting anything, and confirm it with a flashlight
- Clear a zone at least 3 feet around the hearth: rugs, furniture, stockings, decorations, toys and spare kindling
- Use dry, seasoned hardwood; the ends should look cracked and gray, and two pieces knocked together should sound hollow, not dull
- Light with newspaper and kindling or a firestarter made for fireplaces, never gasoline, lighter fluid or charcoal starter
- Skip wrapping paper, cardboard, trash, evergreen branches and painted or treated wood
- Build a modest fire toward the back of the firebox rather than a big one at the front edge
- Put the screen in place before you sit down
- Keep a fire extinguisher where you can reach it and know how to use it
Fireplace safety check
See how ready your fireplace is before the next fire.
While the fire is burning
A burning fireplace needs an adult in the room. Embers can pop past a screen, and young children and pets don’t understand how hot the glass doors, screen and hearth get.
- Never leave a fire unattended, and don’t go to bed while it is still burning strongly
- Add wood a few pieces at a time instead of piling it high
- Don’t close the damper until the fire is completely out and the firebox is cold; closing it early pushes smoke and carbon monoxide into the room
- If smoke starts rolling into the room, stop adding wood and let the fire burn down; our guide to fireplace draft problems explains the causes
- During a winter power outage a fireplace can help, but hours of continuous burning build creosote quickly, so have the chimney checked afterward
- Never bring a generator, grill or camp stove indoors or into an attached garage for heat; they produce deadly carbon monoxide
After the fire
- Let the fire burn down on its own; don’t spread embers out to speed things up
- Remember that coals buried in ash can stay hot for days
- Move ashes with a metal shovel into a metal can with a tight metal lid, never a paper bag, cardboard box or plastic bin
- Set the can outside on a non-combustible surface, at least 10 feet from the house, deck, garage and woodpile
- Close the damper once the firebox is completely cold to keep heat in the house
- Clean glass doors only after they have cooled
Winter warning signs and what to do
Keep an eye out for these through the heating season. The first two are emergencies; the rest mean the fireplace should rest until the chimney is looked at.
| What you notice | What it may mean | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Roaring sound, sparks or flames from the chimney top | A chimney fire | Get everyone out and call 911 |
| CO alarm sounds, or headaches and nausea that ease outdoors | Carbon monoxide in the house | Get everyone out and call 911 |
| Smoke rolling into the room every time | A blocked flue, a damper problem or poor draft | Stop using it until the chimney is inspected |
| Black flakes or crunchy deposits falling into the firebox | Heavy creosote buildup | Schedule a cleaning before the next fire |
| Water stains or ice around the chimney inside | Water entering at the crown, cap or flashing | Book an inspection before freeze–thaw widens the gaps |
| Pieces of brick or clay tile in the firebox | A damaged firebox or cracked flue tiles | Stop using it and have it inspected |
CO is colorless and odorless, and early symptoms such as headache, dizziness, nausea and tiredness can feel like the flu. Working CO alarms are the only reliable warning. If one sounds, get everyone outside and call 911; don’t go back in to open windows or look for the source. For where alarms should be installed, check current requirements with your local fire marshal or home inspector, and see our guide to chimneys and carbon monoxide.
Gas logs and gas fireplaces don’t leave creosote, but their flues and vents can still be blocked by nests, leaves or debris, and a blocked vent can send exhaust into the room. Have the chimney or vent checked each year, and leave the burner, valve and gas line to a licensed gas technician.
Getting your fireplace ready with A Class
If you would rather hand the yearly items to someone else, here is how a visit works.
- Book a visitGive us a call at (203) 779-6787, or leave a callback request. Booking in late summer or early fall leaves the most room to handle repairs before cold weather.
- Cleaning and inspectionWe sweep the flue, check the firebox, damper and smoke chamber, run a camera up the flue, and look at the cap and crown with drone photos of the top.
- Photos and a plain reportYou see photos of anything that needs attention and hear what can wait and what can’t.
- Written price before any repairAs a ballpark, a standard cleaning with a Level 1 inspection is $150–$350. Any repair is priced in writing first, with the exact figure set after an on-site look.
- A clean hearthDrop cloths go down and the room is left clean, so the first fire of the season starts in a tidy fireplace.
Prefer we call you?
Three quick taps and a real person from A Class Chimney calls you back to set up a $59 on-site inspection.
- $59 on-site visit and written estimate
- Photos of everything we find
- A written price before any work starts
- Licensed and insured in Connecticut
Sunday to Friday
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When?
Where should we call you?
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Common questions
Have us take a look
$59 on-site visit, photos of what we find and a written price before any work. Licensed and insured in Connecticut.