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How can I tell if my fireplace is safe to use?
We moved into my house a little over a year ago (without a home inspection) and we have never used my fireplace. Do we need to have it professionally inspected or should it be safe to use?
Answer:
Have it professionally inspected. We were in the same situation when we bought our house. The chimney sweep said the chimney was in great shape, the fireplace was clean as a whistle, and to never light a fire in it until we had some work done.
The reason was, he said, that the grate and doors in the front were probably a cheap set of doors from a department store, and the air vents in them did NOT match the location of the air intakes of the firebox behind it. That meant that the firebox in the fireplace would overheat because it wasn't properly ventilated, possibly causing a fire.
So if you want to use the fireplace, have it inspected by someone that knows what they are doing. It might cost you a hundred or two. That's cheap insurance, compared to the cost of rebuilding the house or repairing a lot of fire damage.
Or losing a life.
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