There’s nothing quite like a roaring fire to warm your house for the winter holidays. There’s also nothing quite like the lingering smell of smoke from, and the hazards associated with, a neglected fireplace and chimney.
“A chimney should be swept and inspected at least once a year if the fireplace is used every weekend,” said Michael Scanlon, the owner of Sag Harbor Fireplace, which for 30 years has been one of the few chimney-sweep games in town. “If you have a gas fireplace, manufacturers recommend they are serviced once a year,” too.
And that’s only part of the process. There’s also a need to ensure the wood you’re burning is properly dried and seasoned, not to mention the forethought to keep combustible materials like curtains away from the fireplace. What follows is a primer on proper care and use of these household resources.
’Tween Pavement and Stars
The classic 1964 Disney film “Mary Poppins” prominently features a cheerful chimney sweep, Bert, and his pals dancing across the rooftops of London.
These days, though, most of the work is done in the living room. “Ninety-nine percent of the time we clean the chimney from the fireplace,” Mr. Scanlon said. “If we notice any issues from the ground, we then go up on the roof and inspect it.”
Much like the beloved movie character Bert, who sings about “choosing me bristles with pride,” modern chimney sweeps still assemble brushes and rods, but there are also drop cloths, a big vacuum, and other cleaning materials to protect a house’s interior.
“It’s still a dirty, sooty process, but we contain it in the fireplace,” Mr. Scanlon said. “If we get soot in someone’s house, they tend not to call us back.”
During the cold months, he has two crews on the road each day, serving as many as 20 houses combined. And some of those houses have multiple fireplaces. “Sometimes you go to a house that has 10 fireplaces and that’s a few hours,” he said. There’s a trend in which “new construction includes a lot of modern, large gas fireplaces, and also, electric fireplaces have come a long way, and you’re starting to see that.”
Bert sings that “nowhere is there a more ‘appier crew,” and that may indeed be the case in real life. Some of Mr. Scanlon’s employees have worked for him for 20 years or more.
Words From a Fire Chief
East Hampton Fire Chief Duane Forrester wants people to know that chimneys and fireplaces that “are not properly installed, or that had some sort of issue and weren’t taken care of properly,” are among the most hazardous risks at home.
“A lot of times it’s a lack of being cleaned,” he said, “and we’ve had a couple of times where people had something that wasn’t installed to manufacturer’s specs.”
Watch out for smoke – even little wisps of it – and the smell of it, as signs that something could be wrong.
“When somebody calls us with an issue, it’s normally that they still have a strong smell after the fire has been out,” Chief Forrester said. “They ran the fireplace and let it burn out, but they still have a very strong burning-wood smell coming from the fireplace area, or maybe heat in the wall.”
The fire department can also do safety checkups, also known as a chief’s investigations, if a problem is suspected.
“If someone has an issue – a strange odor, an electrical issue, anything with their fireplace or gas stove – they can always call and we will be sent out on a chief’s investigation, depending on what the call is,” Chief Forrester said. “We assess the situation and if we can assist, we will.”
While on the topic of fire safety, he noted that “once the temperature changes, all sorts of things can go wrong. There are concerns with people using space heaters, and dry Christmas trees, and issues with Christmas lights or decorations.” He also strongly advises people against storing propane tanks indoors -- it’s dangerous even in a garage.
In such cases it is best to look for specific fire-safety tips from an expert agency, such as East Hampton Town’s Department of Fire Prevention or Suffolk County’s Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Services agency.
Wood vs. Gas
One is not necessarily safer than the other, Chief Forrester said. “They both have their pros and cons.”
According to Fixr.com, an online trade publication serving the home-improvement industry, wood-burning fireplaces are more expensive to build, running as much as $22,000 in some areas, compared to under $10,000 for a gas-powered fireplace (likely not even taking into consideration the officially unofficial cost differentials that East Enders often wind up paying for goods and services).
Gas-powered fireplaces are generally easier to use and maintain and are more efficient in heating a space, Fixr says, but you won’t get those same attractive flames and comforting crackling, popping sounds that you get from wood. It is unsafe to leave the remnants of a wood fire unattended because hot embers may still be smoldering, but a gas-powered fireplace can simply be turned off with the flick of a switch.
Mr. Scanlon said he and his team encounter a few types of common problems. In wood-burning fireplaces, “chimneys can leak water or the fireplaces are smoking when people are using them. With gas fireplaces, it’s that they aren’t staying lit or aren’t lighting at all.”
[The traditional, open fireplaces we’re talking about here – the sort you think of when you think of a New England-style fireplace with mantel and stockings hung with care – aren’t an efficient way to heat a house, it should be noted. Wood-burning stoves, by contrast, seal up with a swinging glass or cast-iron door and can heat a well-insulated house beautifully, 24/7, if stoked at intervals and before bedtime, but that’s a subject for a different 101.]
Not All Wood Is Good
Finding a firewood seller is like choosing a dentist. “You find a good one, you stick with it,” said Paul Gartside, a Springs naval architect specializing in wooden boats who runs a sideline in seasoned logs. “There’s a certain amount of trust involved in both quantity and moisture content. Going with someone with a good reputation is your best bet.”
First and foremost, it needs to be dry.
“In most firewood cultures, not just Canada where I come from, everybody does their wood in the spring, so you have the whole of the year for it to dry naturally. You stack it and dry it. However, that is not the East Hampton way. Here, it goes cold and they pick up the phone and expect you to have dry wood.”
Most people are looking for seasoned hardwoods with a slow burn, like oak, hickory, locust, and maple, Mr. Gartside said. Softwoods like pine burn quickly and have an added pitfall, according to Chief Forrester: “Pines can have oils in them that can collect in the chimney and start a fire.”
Mr. Gartside scoffed at the idea of using Duraflame wood, those packaged logs sold in stores that promise pleasant smells, long burning time, and unique colors. “I’m from the country. I know how to cut it and light it,” he said.
You’ll also need kindling, which is where a few small slivers of soft wood can be useful. “A log can be nice and dry and beautiful, but you can’t just put a match to them,” Mr. Gartside said. “The best kindling in the world is old cedar shingles. So if you see a roof job going on and a dumpster full of old cedar shakes, that’s like gold.”
He also said there is a “fringe market” for kiln-dried wood, but that it’s not generally available in large quantities. “If you are a serious wood burner, you want to buy in much bigger quantities.”
Speaking of quantity, Mr. Gartside explained an important distinction in the terms a consumer may hear when buying firewood. There’s such a thing as a “full cord,” measuring 8 feet by 4 feet by 4 feet, and a “face cord,” which is 8 feet by 4 feet but only one log deep. “A full cord requires two pickup loads,” he said. “You’ve got to be careful. When a pile of logs lands in your driveway, it’s hard to tell how much you’ve got, because you can only really measure it when it is properly stacked.” If a seller says they’re going to deliver a cord in one pickup-truck load, ask questions.
Firewood is running at least $400 a cord right now. Mr. Gartside charges $425 for delivery and stacking. “You can get a better deal if you just get it dumped and stack it yourself.”
He advises people to be sure of what they need. For instance, wood stoves – with a restricted fire-box depth – can’t take the logs that a fireplace typically can take.
“You’ve got to know what you want, and talk nicely to your firewood dealer to get it,” he said. “You also have to tip him very heavily. That helps.”
The last note he offers is to always keep the firewood covered.
“Lighting a fire is a lovely thing to do,” Mr. Gartside said. “The great thing about this time of year is you get the fire going and the house feels homey.”