Wood Stove Accessories
By: delorean88
If you are heating with wood this winter, you'll need to take steps to make your wood stove as safe as you possibly can. Wood stove safety is very important in order to protect your family from Carbon Monoxide poisoning, burns, and fire.
Instructions:
1. Clean the chimney once a season - You'll need to clean the chimney every fall before you start burning wood. Use a chimney brush or hire a professional to remove the built up creosote on the inner chimney walls.
2. Empty the ashes - Clean out the ash tray and ashes in the wood box whenever they are full. You can dump these in your compost pile or garden.
3. Buy fire extinguishers and chimney fire extinguisher sticks - Fire extinguishers are your first line of defense against a home fire. Use chimney fire extinguisher sticks if you have a fire in your stove-pipe. Store both of these items in close range (but not too close) to the wood stove.
4. Buy a carbon monoxide detector and test it once a week - You need to have at least one working Co2 detector in a home with a wood stove. You should buy two or more, and place them in your bedrooms and the room with the stove. Change the batteries at least every six months, even if they have plugs because the batteries operate the detectors in power outages.
5. Don't overheat the stove - Get a special magnetic stovepipe thermometer and attach it to the stovepipe. Don't let the heat in the box go over the safety line. A lot of stove and chimney fires are caused by overheating wood stoves. Don't overfill the wood box. Don't burn anything other than firewood. Plastic, paper bags, clothing, and other flammable materials burn too quickly and overheat the stove, damaging it, causing chimney fires, and possibly burning your house down.
6. Keep kids safe - Give a long lecture about the dangers of wood stoves every year. You children should be able to repeat the dangers of wood stoves to any other children or guests that come into your home. Tell your children never to open the stove box, and never to play with fire. Tell them to never try to start the stove on their own, or attempt to burn anything in the stove. Tell children to never remove anything from the stove, whether it appears to be lit or unlit. If they see a fire, or notice or smell something unusual about the stove, they should tell and adult right away. Tell children to never touch a stove, and warn them about the possibility of getting seriously burned, even when they think the stove isn't hot.
7. Avoid burns for adults, children, and pets - The surfaces of wood stoves can get very hot. So, hot, in fact, that even touching the surface can cause a third degree burn instantly. You should never touch a wood stove or crowd close to it in order to warm up. Keep your distance at all times. Most people don't realize how dangerous the surface of a wood stove is, and how serious falling on a stove can be.Keep a safety line around the stove, and don't let children or pets cross the line. Warn adults about the dangers of touching the stove for any reason.
Article Source: eHow.com
Wood Stove Accessories
