Tips to Maintain Your Outdoor Fireplace

When thinking about interior design, Santa Clara homeowners probably like to include a fire feature into the main room of the home. However, a fireplace outside can be just as beneficial. When you have an outdoor fireplace, you allow for natural illumination and some extra warmth for those chilly nights. However, it is important that you maintain this fireplace just like you would for an indoor one. There are certain maintenance tasks that you want to perform on a regular schedule to keep your outdoor fireplace burning bright.

Wood-Burning Fireplace

Just like it sounds, this type of fireplace uses wood and there is no gas involved. Ensure that all wood that you use is clean and not damp. Make sure that you keep this type of fireplace clean and always look for possible fire hazards before lighting it. It is often recommended that people get a professional cleaning at least once a year. Other maintenance methods include:

• Frequently remove the built-up ash
• Use a wet-dry vacuum or a broom to clean away the soot, debris and leaves from the inside of the fireplace before each use
• About once a month, grab soapy water and a brush to completely clean and scrub the fireplace. When you do this regularly, it will not take as much time
• Ensure that foliage does not overgrow since this can pose a fire hazard
• Inspect the body of the fireplace regularly to look for structural issues. If you notice any, you want to have them fixed before you opt to use the fireplace again. Also, make sure that plant roots have no infiltrated the fireplace

Gas-Burning Fireplace

This type of outdoor fireplace uses gas to light it. Before you inspect it or perform any maintenance, make sure that the gas is turned off to ensure safety. Just like with a wood-burning fireplace, you should have a professional come out and do an annual inspection and cleaning. In between the professional cleanings, the following are helpful:

• Look at the exhaust fan to make sure that it is working properly
• Check the burners because it is imperative that soot is not allowed to build up on them. You can use a soft-bristle brush or a cloth to clean the burners
• When you will not use your fireplace for a few months, turn off the pilot light

You can see that elements of interior design in Santa Clara can work just as well outside. This is especially true for a fireplace. Now that you know more about how to keep yours clean and working well, you can enjoy a nice warm fire at night to kick back and relax.

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 28th, 2018 at 6:44 pm and is filed under interior design santa clara. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.