Nothing is more important than keeping you and your family safe. So if you have an open fire or stove in your home, here are a few precautions you can take:
- Get your chimney swept - HETAS (Heating Equipment Testing and Approval Scheme) recommend that your chimney is swept at least once a year as a minimum. We would recommend twice a year for both wood burning and solid fuel appliances to prevent chimney fires.
- Maintain your appliance - most stove manufacturers recommend that stoves are serviced annually to ensure optimum output and safety.
- Store your solid fuel correctly - excess solid fuel could catch fire accidentally. Make sure your solid fuel is stored in a dry container away from your home e.g. a coal bunker. If limited for space, then store excess in a cool, dry place such as a cellar.
- Get a smoke detector - when a smoke alarm senses smoke, it sounds a shrill alarm hopefully giving you and your family precious time to escape. Having an early warning of fire in your home, could save lives.
- Get a carbon monoxide (CO) detector - it is a building regulation requirement to fit a CO alarm if you have installed a wood burning or multi fuel stove however more importantly it will sound an alarm before the exposure to CO would present a hazard. CO is a silent killer.