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Big Canoe Home Destroyed by Fire - Remember to Clean Your Chimney!
By djelliott999 | March 27, 2008
While our family was enjoying the Big Canoe Easter egg hunt this past Sunday, we noticed what appeared to be every emergency vehicle in Big Canoe heading up the mountains to what we later found out was a house fire. Unfortunately the house was a total loss, but the fire crews were able to save the other nearby homes and nobody was injured. The fire is still being investigated, but one of the major suspects is a chimney fire.
Big Canoe is host to many North Georgia cabins that serve as weekenders and getaways. The owners or guests come in for a few days, enjoy warming their feet by the fire, then pack up and head back home, so routine service on the chimney is really important. Having your chimney inspected and cleaned annually is really one of those situations where an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
According to Richard Fairless, who owns and operates a chimney sweep company out of Talking Rock, the main culprit in chimney fires is creosote which is a by-product of burning wood. Creosote is highly flammable and is capable of burning at temperatures up to 2000 degrees! Mr. Fairless also advises his clients to have thier chimney and fireplace cleaned and inspected once a year or after burning one cord of seasoned wood (roughly 2 pick-up loads of wood). Gas burning fireplaces should also be serviced once a year.
It is rare to find a home here in Big Canoe that does not have at least one fireplace so routine maintenance of your fireplace(s) should be one of those expenses you budget for every year. The cost is fairly inexpensive - the prices I saw ranged from $99-$200. Servicing generally includes cleaning/sweeping the flue with wire brushes from top to bottom. Debris is contained with a vacuum system and drop cloths. Also, it is typical to receive some sort of verbal or written evaluation for your fireplace and chimney. If you would like to receive more information from chimney sweep Richard Fairless, he can be reached at (770) 740-9388 or via email at richardfairless@msn.com.
Topics: All Posts, Big Canoe Real Estate |
May 22nd, 2008 at 11:26 pm
[...] the filters are changed and you’ll be cooler than the Fonz. While you’re at it have a chimney sweep clean out the chimney. Caked up creosoat can catch on fire inside your chimney. The summer [...]