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Chief’s Corner: Fireplace, wood stove maintenance and the disposal of ashes

Jason Gibeaut, Fire Chief Northstar Fire Department
Jason Gibeaut

With cooler nights and mornings (and even some snow that has recently fallen!) many of us begin to use and enjoy our fireplaces or wood stoves. A crackling fire lends a cozy feeling to any home. I would like to remind all of you to please learn to operate and maintain your fireplace or stove so it can provide you the warmth and comfort in a safe and efficient manner this winter season.

To do this, homeowners should have their chimneys and stove pipes inspected and cleaned. Depending on how frequently you use your fireplace or wood stove, the stovepipes and chimney flues should be inspected each year. Look for cracked flue liners, broken or missing bricks or stone, heavy creosote deposits, bird nests and other foreign material. If you do not feel comfortable doing this yourself, then please hire a professional to do the inspection.

Furthermore, please dispose of your ashes properly. Unfortunately, as we have seen over the years, homeowners or their renters have caused fires in their homes due to the improper disposal of ashes. Here are two very important tips to remember when disposing of your ashes:



Dispose of ashes in a metal container. Never dispose of your ashes in paper or plastic. There have been case studies where an individual collected and placed ashes in a plastic bucket upon a wood floor and seven hours later, a fire broke out. Furthermore, please don’t get creative like lining a cardboard box or plastic trashcan with aluminum foil. It won’t work!

Dispose of ashes from metal container to dumpster only after they are completely ‘dead’. Ashes have a low thermal conductivity. Thus, it is not uncommon for an individual to believe that ashes are ‘dead’, while in reality, hot or smoldering embers are still contained therein. Embers as small as 2mm are capable of igniting dry, fine target fuels.



Meaning, if you dispose of your ashes – and, they are not fully dead – into a dumpster with everyone’s trash, there is a very good possibility that the ashes could ignite some combustible material. Play it safe: Ashes that are placed in a metal container for later disposal, should not come in contact with combustible materials (i.e. dumpster, home trash can, bare earth ) for at least seven days. Please be fire safe


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