By CRAIG FREILICH

As colder temperatures move in it is a good idea for people to give extra thought to the dangers of heating system fires, especially with the creosote buildup inherent in chimneys and stove pipes on wood and wood pellet burning systems.

Aside from regular chimney cleaning, the single most important thing to do is install a smoke or heat alarm near the fireplace or wood stove, according to St. Lawrence County Department of Emergency Services Supervisor of Dispatch Operations James Chestnut.

“Mostly, make sure you have some kind of fire alarm, a smoke detector or heat detector, especially where the stove is located,” Chestnut says. “The smoke is not necessarily going to show up in the hallway if the stove is in the living room. The idea is that it will give the homeowner enough warning before a fire gets into the walls. And it will improve safety any time of the year.”

Any heating system requires regular cleaning and maintenance, and when it’s getting cold is not the time to do it, Chestnut says. Wood burning systems need special care.

As the smoke from a wood fire moves through stovepipes and chimneys, it will leave deposits from unburned fuel gases known as creosote on those surfaces, and over time it will accumulate. It can restrict exhaust flow, which will concentrate heat in those areas and could get hot enough to ignite the creosote. Chimneys are designed to handle the heat and smoke of a heating system, but they have limits.

Chestnut points out that there are several types of chimneys, from old brick ones with tile liners to newer double- or triple-wall stainless steel chimneys, but they all require attention.

“Styles can be dramatically different from one house to another,” he says.

“Personally, I recommend getting the work done in the spring, after the heating season, not suddenly in the fall just before the heating season,” he says. “It’s up to everybody when they do it, but I would get it done when you’re not using it. Then if something’s wrong you have time to get it fixed.”

He points out that fuel oil, natural gas and propane systems “don’t get the buildup that you do with wood,” but they still need maintenance to keep them running safely and efficiently. To prevent carbon-monoxide emissions, Chestnut recommends checking the exhaust area of those systems. And “it wouldn’t hurt at all” to install a carbon monoxide detector.

Another very important consideration is installation of a wood or pellet stove.

Chestnut is concerned that if the price of oil spikes people might be tempted to do a quick installation without putting enough thought into where and how it goes in, such as a new pellet stove installed with no protection on a bare floor or close to a wall.

He suggests an installation be made “by someone who knows the current code.”