I live in a wood frame house, in a thickly wooded neighborhood (lots of mature trees). I’ve never used my fireplaces, but I’m probably going to want to this winter. My question is: why exactly is it safe to burn paper, wood, etc., in a fireplace in a wooden house? Embers float up the chimney all the time – isn’t there any danger that they’ll float on out the top and set something on fire?
Yup, there is a danger to the neighbourhood. You can mitigate it by installing a screen at the top of your chimney.
To avoid fires inside your chimney, clean out your chimney annually, and try not to burn green wood.
Assuming the chimney is up to code and kept clean, it will not grow hot enough to harm your wooden house.
Hmmm. Sounds familiar, yup, yup. I live in a wood frame house, in a wooded area. Never had a problem with my fireplace. Like Muffin sez, your chimney should have a cap with a screen. You should have this anyway, to keep out rain, birds, and “critters”. No green wood, and if you have a steel flue chimney (not a solid brick chimney), you should stick to burning hardwoods. Pine produces too much soot.
By the time most embers get to the top, they go out, or are out before they can do any damage. Your roof shingles can safely withstand any stray embers from a chimney.
With a fire roaring, I’ve gone in the attic and checked the sheathing around my steel flue chimney and it felt cool, with no smoke leakage. You can safely burn hardwood and those light 'em logs (I recommend Pine Mountain - they burn nice).
Yeah, put a cap on the chimney, they are about $30.00 Measure your chimney top first so you know which one to get.
They keep bats out. You got a wood roof? I don’t think so, I bet you have shingles which don’t burn you know?
dire wolf…you are incorrect…burning pine does not create soot (and I assune you mean creosote)…burning ANY green wood does…if the pine is dry you should not have any problems.