CHIMNEY CLEANING
You may reserve equipment to clean your chimney at the Municipality. This service is free of charge. Please call 418 844-1218.
HEATING WITH WOOD STOVES: BE RESPONSIBLE!
Safety tips
Enjoy the benefits of your wood fire in comfort just by taking a few simple precautions. Otherwise, in the blink of an eye, those warm friendly flames in your fireplace or wood stove could turn into a devastating fire. You can easily prevent dangerous situations such as chimney fires by taking the proper safety measures.
Here are some good tips on ways to burn cleaner wood fires.
Creosote – a crusty deposit left behind by the smoke that drifts up your chimney – can ignite into a dangerous fire when it builds up. To reduce its accumulation:
- Burn only clean, well-seasoned wood that has been split and dried properly. Dry wood lights faster, burns better and produces less smoke than ‘green’ wood – a major culprit in creosote build-up.
- Think twice before you chop up that old coffee table and toss it into your wood stove. Burning garbage, plastic, particleboard, plywood, salted driftwood or any other painted or treated wood releases a toxic cloud of chemicals and can build up creosote.
Don’t let a small spark ignite a big blaze…
- The best way to start your fire is with newspaper and dry kindling. Never try to get a blaze roaring with gasoline, kerosene or charcoal starter – you will get more firepower than you bargained for.
- Remove ashes from your stove or fireplace regularly and store them in a covered metal container in a safe area away from your house. The sparks in hot ashes can easily re-ignite fires.
- Keep all household items – drapes, furniture, newspaper and books – away from the heat and the stray sparks of your woodstove or fireplace.
- Protect floors from sparks with a properly fitted screen around your fireplace. A decorative screen does not provide protection.
Detection devices save lives!
Install carbon monoxide detectors and smoke alarms, as required by the National Fire Code of Canada, and keep a fire extinguisher nearby. You should never smell smoke in your house. If you do, it usually means your wood stove or fireplace system isn’t venting properly – perhaps the chimney is blocked, a damper is faulty or the fireplace is competing with your range hood. Not only are these fire hazards, but they could also lead to deadly carbon monoxide poisoning.
Fire prevention by-law
To consult By-law no. 175 concerning Fire Prevention.
