Earthlog

The World's Greenest Fire Log

What to Burn in your Fireplace this Winter

What to Burn in your Fireplace this Winterwhat to burn

When the weather outside is frightful nothing is quite as comforting as curling up in front of cozy fire. You have many options when it comes to fuel, some of which are more earth friendly than others. Let’s discuss what you can burn in your fireplace for the cleanest, most energy efficient fire with the lowest greenhouse gas emissions.

When deciding what to burn in your fireplace you will need to consider what type of hearth you have. For example, wood pellets and corn pellets can only be burned in pellet stoves that are specially designed to slowly feed the pellets to the flames. If you have an airtight woodstove or insert then you have little choice but to burn natural wood. However, if you have a fireplace with no insert, you have the choice between natural wood and manufactured fire logs.

Natural wood is considered a carbon neutral fuel because burning it only releases the amount of CO2 that the tree sequestered during its lifetime. However, it’s not necessarily the wood that’s a problem, it’s the smoke. Burning wood with too much moisture or allowing a fire to smolder can release extra methane into the air. Methane has a greenhouse impact twenty times greater than that of CO2. What’s more, burning wood in an open fireplace releases large amounts of ash into the air. The particulate matter in smoke can cause bronchitis and aggravate chronic heart and lung diseases. Once it leaves your chimney, wood smoke becomes air pollution.

Fire logs burn relatively cleanly and release far less ash than natural wood. A study performed by the EPA found that manufactured fire logs had 75 percent fewer emissions than natural wood and 80 percent less particulate matter. Manufactured fire logs also heat your home more efficiently because they burn longer and hotter than natural firewood. EarthLog fire logs are made from 100 percent recycled resources, further reducing your negative impact on the environment.

Earthlog Fire Logs produce more heat and less smoke than conventional fire logs. Less smoke means less carbon monoxide, less particulate matter emissions and less creosote accumulation. When used properly, Earthlogs are better for your health, safety and the environment than any other type of fire log. Earthlog Fire Logs are made from waste paper and the highest quality scented paraffin waxes. Earthlog Fire Logs are your best choice this holiday season!

 

Stopping Fireplace Drafts

Stopping Fireplace Draftsstopping fireplace drafts

A fire in the fireplace can make a home feel even more warm and cozy during the cold winter months. However, an unused fireplace is a source for drafts resulting in chilly indoor temperatures and higher heating costs. Cold air sinks while warm air rises, so when outdoor temperatures are colder than inside, the warm air escapes up the chimney while the cold, drafty air sinks in. To prevent this problem you will need to install one of several different types of products. The option you choose will depend on the type of fireplace you have and the amount of effort that you wish to put in to preventing drafts inside your home.

Installing an Inflatable Draft Blocker

  • When the fireplace is cold, insert the chimney pillow into the fireplace opening with the inflation area facing down.
  • Push the pillow up the chimney stack parallel to the floor until it is no longer visible from across the room.
  • Attach the included pump to the inflation hose on the chimney balloon and pump it until the balloon is almost completely inflated.
  • Push a narrow PVC pipe or plastic tube into one corner of the chimney shaft along the side of the balloon to provide additional ventilation into the chimney space.
  • Finish inflating the balloon, remove the pump and close the inflation nozzle.
  • Tie the string with the reminder tag to the fireplace grate or screen. The string will prevent the balloon from drifting away if a strong updraft occurs and the reminder tag will remind you to remove the balloon when you want to use the fireplace.
  • Inspect the balloon every couple of weeks, adding more air when necessary.
  • Remember to deflate and remove the balloon prior to using your fireplace.

Draft-Stopping Doors

  • Measure the front of the fireplace opening to determine the minimum size and height for a fireplace door.
  • Purchase a glass fireplace door that is specially designed to insulate against drafts. These are different from the folding screen style doors that are purely decorative.
  • If you plan on burning wood in the fireplace then you will also need to purchase a mesh screen designed to go between the fire and the glass in order to keep the embers inside.
  • Place the glass door against the fireplace opening. Ensure that it covers the opening completely. Keep the door in place while the fireplace is in use to prevent heat from escaping the room.

Earthlog Fire Logs produce more heat and less smoke than conventional fire logs. Less smoke means less carbon monoxide, less particulate matter emissions and less creosote accumulation. When used properly, Earthlogs are better for your health, safety and the environment than any other type of fire log. Earthlog Fire Logs are made from waste paper and the highest quality scented paraffin waxes. Earthlog Fire Logs are your best choice this holiday season!

 

 

Cleaning your Fireplace

Cleaning your Fireplaceclean chimney

It’s important to have your wood burning fireplace serviced and cleaned regularly to ensure that any toxic and unhealthy fumes produced by burning wood or wood products are removed from your home. Annual cleaning and inspection of your wood burning fireplace is important for you and your family’s overall health and safety.

How to clean your wood burning fireplace:

  • You can purchase chimney rods and brushes at your local hardware store.
  • Before cleaning your fireplace you will want to change into old clothes and put on safety goggles and a dust mask. Lay a clean tarp in front of the fireplace and cover the fireplace opening with a plastic tarp. It might be helpful to attach it with duct tape.
  • Open the fireplace damper. This is the metal door located just above the firebox.
  • Carefully climb on the roof of your home.
  • Remove the chimney cap and check for any weather damage.
  • Assemble your chimney rods and brushes according to the manufacturer’s directions.
  • Run the brush down the chimney using a short up and down motion. Some brushes might be designed to twist as well.
  • After you have finished cleaning the top of your chimney, go back inside and use a short chimney brush to clean the flue. The flue is the pipe that runs between the fireplace and the chimney.
  • Using a vacuum cleaner or small broom, remove the cold ashes and creosote from the fireplace and damper.
  • Using a stiff, dry scrub brush, brush the floors and walls of the fireplace.
  • Use the brush to clean the creosote that has built up behind the damper.
  • Reach through the damper and use a vacuum hose to remove the creosote out of the smoke shelf cavity behind the fireplace.
  • After cleaning your fireplace, vacuum up all of the dust and debris.

Burning manufactured fire logs such as EarthLog fire logs significantly reduces the amount of cleanup you will have to do. EarthLog fire logs create less particulate matter emissions and less creosote accumulation than regular firewood.

Earthlog Fire Logs produce more heat and less smoke than conventional fire logs. Less smoke means less carbon monoxide, less particulate matter emissions and less creosote accumulation. When used properly, Earthlogs are better for your health, safety and the environment than any other type of fire log. Earthlog Fire Logs are made from waste paper and the highest quality scented paraffin waxes. Earthlog Fire Logs are your best choice this holiday season!

 

 

Fireplace Safety for the Holidays

Fireplace Safety for the Holidaysfireplace safety for holidays

For many families the winter holiday season is the most joyous time of the year with the fireplace at the center of holiday celebrations. However, fireplace safety should never be ignored, especially during the winter when your fireplace will be used more often than usual. Let’s take a look at the top fireplace safety tips for the holidays.

Cleaning and Inspection

Before enjoying your fireplace this winter you will want to make sure that you get your annual chimney cleaning and inspection. A professional chimney sweep can remove soot, creosote and glaze build-up. These substances build up easily on the inside of the fireplace and chimney, increasing the chance of a chimney fire. In addition to removing this potentially hazardous build-up, a chimney inspection will reveal any cracks in your flue lining. This type of crack can cause heat from the fireplace to enter your home, possibly starting a house fire. To prevent potentially serious injuries, flue lining cracks must be repaired before using the fireplace.

General Fire Prevention

Before using your fireplace you will want to install smoke detectors on every level of your home. Remember to check the batteries regularly to ensure that alarms are working properly. Consider getting a carbon monoxide monitor as well. Carbon monoxide is extremely poisonous and completely odorless. Be careful when disposing of ashes from your fireplace so that you don’t start an unexpected fire. To reduce the chance of dangerous creosote build-up, burn manufactured fire logs such as Earth Log Fire Logs.

Holiday Fire Prevention

Wrapped packages and gift boxes are highly combustible. They should always be kept at least three feet away from your fireplace. Wrapping paper contains chemicals that cause it to burn at extremely high temperatures and should never be put inside your fireplace. In addition to wrapping paper, gift boxes and garbage, never burn your Christmas tree inside your fireplace. Trees that have not been dried out properly for burning can become a major fire hazard.

Earthlog Fire Logs produce more heat and less smoke than conventional fire logs. Less smoke means less carbon monoxide, less particulate matter emissions and less creosote accumulation. When used properly, Earthlogs are better for your health, safety and the environment than any other type of fire log. Earthlog Fire Logs are made from waste paper and the highest quality scented paraffin waxes. Earthlog Fire Logs are your best choice this holiday season!

 

Decorating a Corner Fireplace

Decorating a Corner Fireplacecorner fireplace decoration

Corner fireplaces can be extremely difficult to decorate. This is because they often lack a flat wall above the mantel. Despite their unusual architecture, with a little creativity a corner fireplace can still become a focal point.

Even though a ninety degree angle behind a fireplace mantel might seem impossible to decorate, it actually provides additional depth for your mantel décor. Instead of mounting a large anchor piece, such as framed art or a mirror, consider simply placing it in the corner and leaning it against both walls. If you are concerned about it slipping you can use a little museum putty on the bottom to hold it in place. The deep corner mantel could also be filled with a large vase with tall dried reeds or a large platter on a stand. This type of decoration is well suited for corner mantels even though it would look out of place on an ordinary mantel.

Professional decorators typically follow certain rules and guidelines to help them come up with aesthetically pleasing designs. The “three plus one rule” is a simple decorating technique that creates visually balanced and harmonious asymmetrical mantel displays. Accomplish the perfect look by placing three like objects on one side of the mantel. Stagger the objects to create a feeling of depth. Then on the other side of the mantel place one large object with the same visual weight as the three grouped objects.

Candles are an inexpensive and effective way to decorate a corner fireplace mantel. However too many candles can take the focus away from the fire itself. Carefully choose and arrange your candles with other decorative items to balance out the mantel without outdoing the actual fireplace.

Rotate the décor on your corner fireplace mantel to incorporate seasonal displays. Consider draping an evergreen garland all the way around a wraparound corner fireplace mantel or decorating with vases filled with bare branches or colorful ball ornaments to create a winter or holiday display.

Earthlog Fire Logs produce more heat and less smoke than conventional fire logs. Less smoke means less carbon monoxide, less particulate matter emissions and less creosote accumulation. When used properly, Earthlogs are better for your health, safety and the environment than any other type of fire log. Earthlog Fire Logs are made from waste paper and the highest quality scented paraffin waxes. Earthlog Fire Logs are your best choice this holiday season!