In the old days, open fireplaces were exactly that: open. Built from bricks into a wall of the home, they offered direct access to the fire at all times. Back then, this was an unavoidable necessity, as people used the fire for many different purposes, not the least of them cooking. Even then, however, the safety issues were all too clear: devastating house fires often started in or near the hearth.
Today, safety is paramount. The simplest and most effective fireplace accessories for increasing safety are fireplace screens. Made out of glass or a dense mesh of fire-resistant material like metal, they stand as a shield between the fire and the outside room. Three common examples should illustrate their usefulness for improving safety.
Reason one: protecting the outside from burning logs from accidentally rolling out of the fireplace. While this fortunately happens only rarely, it has always severe consequences. It is therefore very important that the fireplace screen is either firmly attached to the fireplace opening or, alternatively, made out of heavy iron and placed solidly on the floor. Screens which leave an opening between their lower end and the floor do not offer sufficient protection.
Reason two: keeping flying sparks and embers inside the fireplace. Especially when logs have burned down for a while, they will disintegrate and fall to the bottom if stacked upon each other, causing sparks to fly up - possible into the room where they might start a fire. Solid fireplace screens made out of glass and covering the fireplace opening completely offer the best protection.
Reason three: ensuring the safety of children and pets near the fire. Children like playing near an open fire and are attracted by the flames and heat radiating from a fireplace. While it is still of critical importance that children are never left unsupervised near a burning fire, installing a physical barrier between them and the flames is an invaluable safety feature. The same argument is valid concerning pets. While animals naturally shy away from open flames, the familiarity with a fireplace in operation that pets reach may cause them to overcome their instinct and get dangerously close to the fire.
Hopefully, these arguments can convince many fireplace owners to consider installing a protective screen. They are among the most important fireplace accessories and an investment in the safety of their home.
Related posts:
- Make An Inefficient Fireplace Into An Efficient Wood Fired Stove There are many ways in which you can enjoy the warmth and comfort of your...
- Ethanol Fireplaces Are They Right For You Winter time is by definition the time we spend more time indoors close to a...
- Finding A Good Alarm Monitoring Company Finding a good alarm monitoring company can be a challenging task with all the loads...
- Halogen Heaters: A Good Way To Heat Your Home To have a warm home in cold weather, heat inside the house is usually supplied...
- Why Use Chimney Cowls? Chimney cowls were a great innovation to how chimneys function in homes today. They were...
- Screen Door Benefits [ReviewAZON asin="B002DR0DMS"]Enjoy year-round insect protection with the revolutionary walk-through, auto-close, Hands-Free Screen Door! The Hands-Free...
- How to Install Interlocking Garage Floor Tiles Whether you just had a brand new garage floor put in, or have a floor...
- Learn How to Build a Fire Pit Like a Pro Fire pits are easily becoming widely popular. Many people are eager to learn how to...
- Options For A Garage Roller Door Roller garage doors are a labor-saving devise. It adds space and convenience to the lives...
- Benefits of Concrete Garages An option that has to be weighed when constructing a garage is about the different...
Recent Comments