GAINESVILLE — The weather forecasters think north Georgia will get a bit of a cool snap this weekend with temperatures dropping into the low 40s in the Gainesville area and into the upper 30s in the mountains, making for perfect weather for a fire in the fireplace or wood stove. Both fire officials and the professionals who clean and repair chimneys say it's a good idea to make sure your chimney is safe before you build that fire, however.
Shawn Lee, who has operated Southern Chimney Sweep in Clarkesville since 1999, said most people think about the movie "Mary Poppins" when they think about chimney sweeps, but he said the profession gained popularity in the United States during the energy crisis of the 1970s. Today, large numbers of southerners use wood stoves to heat their homes and fireplaces for supplemental heating. Not everybody is diligent about keeping their fireplaces repaired and cleaned, but Lee said it's good practice for homeowners.
"The deposits that come off of wood as it's burning are flammable - some people call it soot, creosote - it takes a number of forms...so when that builds up in your chimney flue over the years, it'll eventually ignite," said Lee.
And, when it ignites, Lee said the build-up can get really hot.
"Temperatures inside a chimney flue, which are only designed to take up to a few hundred degrees will sometimes get over 2,000 degrees," said Lee. "We've seen it before where metal pre-fabricated chimney flues will actually glow red, melt, buckle, break. Wood stove pipes and solid masonry chimneys will actually crack."
Hall County Deputy Fire Chief Chad Black had similar advice this week for homeowners who have fireplaces in their houses. He said the fire department typically gets more calls during cold weather, and while more fires are sparked by space heaters than fireplaces, it's still a good idea to take precautions. Keeping the chimney clean is key.
"It's kind of like your arteries where they narrow down and people have a heart attack. A chimney is a same-type scenario with the creosote building up. [The opening] getting more narrow and narrow and then of course, the smoke can't exit and it builds up and that stuff ignites," said Black.
Black also said chimney and fireplace fires can get out of control when people burn items they aren't supposed to burn.
"One of the worst things you can do is at Christmas time - throwing the wrapping paper in the fireplace or the wood stove," said Black.
Plus, any wood used in the fireplace or wood stove should be properly seasoned, according to Black.
Black said while his crews will be prepared for more fire calls during the upcoming winter months, he thinks education has played a large part in reducing the number of chimney and fireplace fires nationwide.
"There's been about a four-percent decrease in chimney fires over the last five years - anywhere from 23,000 to 25,000 across the United States," said Black.
He said people seem to be paying heed to the warnings to keep their chimneys clean and in good repair.
And, the current workload at Southern Chimney Sweep may be evidence of that.
"We're pretty busy right now," said Lee. "We've got 10 technicians, four trucks...but we're still booked out about three weeks right now on service calls."
