When you think of winter, do you imagine yourself snuggling up on your sofa all wrapped up warm in the comfort of your own home in front of a cosy warm glowing fire with a nice cup of coffee in hand? When you are enjoying moments like that, how often do you really think about the conditions of your chimney?  For many people thinking about a chimney fire will be the last thing on their mind. However, it is ALWAYS crucial to think about what would happen when you light a fire, after all no matter what type of content you use it in… it is still a fire!

What are the indications of a chimney fire?

The most common signs of a chimney fire are as described below:

• Flames and dark smoke can be seen from the top of the chimney
• Loud popping, cracking and roaring airplane or train sounds that can be heard even by neighbours
• A strong hot smell
• The fire may also burn slowly and silently at exceedingly high temperatures

Warning: In more serious cases, chimney fires can burn very intensively resulting in destroying homes, causing injuries to people and possibly death.

Top Tip: Evacuate from the house immediately and ensure the distance between everyone and the fire is as far away as possible and then contact the fire department to inform them of the situation.

What to do after a chimney fire?

Do not be put off with using your fireplace or wood-burner again, instead talk with a professional and ask them what had cause the fire and how to avoid it from occurring again. Just be extra careful next time and ensure the appliance and the chimney is thoroughly inspected before it is used again.

Refer back to our chimney sweep page for more information about the importance of having your chimney swept.

For more information visit http://www.csia.org/homeowner-resources/the_facts_about_chimney_fires.aspx

This is our advice on how to indicate a chimney fire. If you wish to act upon any of the information given you should do so at your own risk. We will accept no liability or claims from the activities arising from the information set out in these web pages.

The temperatures are low and unfriendly in the winter season which often makes us want to explore different ways for warmth. There are so many ways you can make your home feel cosy.

Here are 3 little changes you can make to give you that homely cosy feeling:

Light Your Fire 

Lighting your fireplace/stove will automatically make you feel warm and cosy, never mind the heat the hearth releases, just gazing into the dancing flames will make you feel warm. Even if you don’t have a hearth at home, just turn the gas fireplace flames on and it will give you a similar effect.

Light The Candles

Yellow and orange lights are better than white lights just because it gives the room a warm glow. Light candles around the house, not only will it make the room look cosier it releases heat too!

Top Tip: Do not forget to blow the candles out before leaving the room to prevent a house fire from occurring.

Feet Up, Snuggle Up

Place a woollen throw or a large blanket over the sofa, it will be available for you to use when you decide to snuggle up in front of the TV to keep warm. By accessorising the sofa with big cushions will make the room feel more intimate and will add colour to the room. If you have wooden floors, you may want to consider adding a large rug (honestly! There’s nothing nicer than stepping onto a nice soft rug!)

What makes you feel cosy at home? Please comment below…

When the weather outside is chilly, finding things to do in the winter can be a challenge, so we have come up with 13 things you can do to enjoy the long winter seasons.

No snow, but want to do something wintry?

• Go indoor ice skating with family and friends
• Go indoor skiing it can be just as much fun and it’s cheaper than going abroad!
• Go for a walk outdoors then come home to a warm glowing fire and treat yourself to a nice cup of hot chocolate with marshmellows

If it has been snowing…

• Build a snowman or a snow fort with your children
• Go sledging at your local park
• Wrap up warm and go far a nice long walk and admire the beautiful snowy wintry scenery

Prefer to stay indoors?

• Do arts and crafts with your children e.g make paper snowflake cut outs, or paint a nice painting
• Bake cookies and decorate them with icing sugar (create a winter theme)
• Put a movie on, light the fire and snuggle up on the sofa under a nice woolly blanket
• Grab your favourite book or start a new novel and pour yourself a nice glass of wine and relax!
• Put on your most comfortable clothing on, wear your softest slippers and do some online shopping! One of the best things about Firemizer is that you can buy it online, so there’s no need to worry about big crowds or queues and the product will get delivered directly to your door – perfect!
• Have an extra warm and relaxing bath and read your favourite book

Do a good deed

• Nothing warms the heart than helping others in need, why not donate food, clothing and toys to a local charity shop, it will also make you feel better and happy knowing you have put a smile on someone’s face.

These are just a few ideas you can do over the long winter seasons. You may wish to do all the outdoor activities during the day then do all the indoor activities in the evening time.

Enjoy!

We would love to hear what you like to do in the winter time, feel free to give us some winter activity ideas below!

Valentine’s Day is fast approaching! Some of you may already have an idea or a plan for the day on how to show your special someone your love and appreciation. For those who may not have a plan yet or are still thinking of an idea for the evening, why not do something a little different this year, why not create a special experience for your special someone? After all isn’t that what Valentine’s Day is all about?

Now, how can you make this day extra special? Well they do say ‘home is where the heart is’ and there is no heart bigger than the hearth of your home, the most focal point of your home. If you have got a fireplace or a stove, you should absolutely make the most out of it! Why not cook up a nice 3 course meal for your special someone and make the evening extra romantic by putting rose pedals on the table and moving the table close to the fire to create that perfect romantic atmosphere. Too cheesy? What about laying out a couple of classic movies on the table and asking your special someone to choose the movie he/she wants to watch and snuggle up by the fire together. The more effort you put into the evening, the more they will feel extra special and happy. If you think refueling your fire is too distracting for you while you are enjoying each other’s company, why not insert a Firemizer into your fireplace to make your fire last longer so you don’t have to worry about refueling the fire as frequently? If you want more information about Firemizer, simply click on this link: Firemizer

Make your day extra special with Firemizer!

Lighting a fire can be fun and with the increasing number of hearth owners, it is vital that we ensure that safety is always first.

We have put together 3 easy to remember fire safety tips when using your hearth.

First and foremost, always make sure you have enough space for your fire to burn. To prevent an unwanted fire from occurring, ensure any furniture or home decorations are kept at a safe distance from the fire. Keep in mind, when you light the fire to remove any lights or decorations dangling from the mantel to avoid them from catching fire.

Secondly, the logs you burn should be dry and well-seasoned. Burning seasoned logs has many benefits and burns more effectively than wet wood (click here to find out more on ‘how to choose a solid fuel’). Wet or unseasoned wood can cause tar/creosote to form in the hearth and chimney, which can increase the likelihood of a chimney fire. It is also recommended that you should have your chimney swept regularly.

Last but not least, keep children and pets away from the hearth and educate them about the dangers of fire. Also, you must never leave a fire unattended for any reason at all.

These are our fire safety tips when using a hearth for hearth owners; therefore if you wish to act upon any of the information given you should do so at your own risk. We will accept no liability or claims from the activities arising from the information set out in our web pages.

We would love to hear what your fire safety tips are too, please feel free to add your tips below:

Now that winter has arrived, the months ahead will feel a lot longer, darker and colder. As the weather gets chillier, you will be extra likely to spend more time indoors. Now is time to ensure your home can provide you with as much warmth, so you can be as comfy and cosy as you can be at your own home.

Join in on trying something new this New Year! If you are one who relishes the idea of a warm cosy fire after a long walk in the great outdoors, then you need to know all about Firemizer. Many fireplace and wood-burning stove owners have experienced using Firemizer in the last autumn/winter season across the UK and USA. They have provided us with many positive feedbacks of the unique solid fuel saver. One stated ‘‘the FIREMIZER does exactly what it claims. I noticed less cleaning of ash, longer fires, it gives me more heat from less wood.’’ And another quoted ‘‘our wood lasts much longer and so little ash is left over because everything burns!’’. Sure being outside is lovely during the day, especially when you have your big jacket and comfy walking boots on to keep you warm outside but as soon as the night draws in, the evenings can be much cooler. When it gets colder, you will be tempted to light your fire much sooner, meaning you will be more likely to burn more wood to keep the fire going for the rest of the evening. We are also more inclined to put the heating on, when the weather is cold and wet outside. Who doesn’t like the idea of staring into the bright dancing flames in a wood-burner or a fireplace? Just the thought of it just provides you with such a warm cosy feeling. Using Firemizer will make your fire last longer because it will burn the wood more evenly and thoroughly into fine ashes, it works by reducing the burn rate of fuel. Why not give it a try?

Two very good news…

Independent tests by a leading laboratory in the UK have shown Firemizer reduces the emissions of creosote hydrocarbons by up to 57%, which will reduce the build-up of potentially dangerous soot in your chimney AND other independent tests by a leading laboratory in the USA have proven Firemizer can limit particulate emissions by up to 72%. As a result, Firemizer is not only good for you but is also good for the environment too.

Try it to believe it!

The best thing about the Firemizer is that it is very simple to use, all you need to do is place it on the base of your hearth and light your fire as normal. Firemizer will typically last up to 500 burn hours! Multi-fuel stove owners… It works for both coal and wood so do not worry if you prefer to burn coal because it works too!

Last Friday, the Firemizer team took part in Christmas Jumper Day, where we all put on our Festive Christmas Jumpers to raise money for TextSanta for the 3 amazing charities (Save the Children, Macmillan Cancer Support and Make-A-Wish UK). As a team we raised around £40. What a fantastic day we had – playing Christmas songs in the background, sipping on hot chocolate and eating delicious homemade mince pies (it definitely got us into the festive Christmas spirit!). We also had a vote on who had the most snazzy festive jumper on… the winner is revealed below! What a fantastic way to raise money for the charities!

Thank you to everyone involved and to TextSanta for organising such a fantastic event!

We are looking forward to supporting the charities again next year!

Congratulations!

The winner is Alex!

The candy canes and the colourful patterns certainly did stand out from the crowd!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Buying Christmas presents can be tough, especially for that one person who is hard to buy for because they say every year that they’ve already got everything they need.

Does this situation sound like yours?

You end up buying something for someone that may never get used just because you feel the need to get them something… well… it’s time to stop burning away your money this year and start thinking about Firemizer, a useful and a very practical item for someone who has a stove, fireplace or fire pit. Whether it is your grandparents, your mum or dad or a friend, Firemizer can make a very good present not only does it make the fire last longer, it can help the user save up to a third of their money too on fuel (it’s a win-win situation!).

Who doesn’t love a roaring fire, especially during the cold winter season? If you want to make it extra special and make it more personal, why not get a set of seasoned logs tie them up together with a thick red ribbon and place it on a log basket with a Firemizer on the side. When it is neatly wrapped together, it will look presentable and it shows a lot of thought have gone into it and shows how much you care about the other person. This is a great present for anyone with a fire because you want them to keep warm, you want them to save money and mostly you want them to enjoy the winter season. Buying seasoned logs will also make their lives easier because it can save them a job from having to go out into the cold to chop the firewood or take the time to season it because it will already be seasoned and chopped. Firemizer can also reduce the build-up of potentially dangerous soot in chimneys ensuring that the person you are buying will have a less of a chance of a chimney fire.

We hope the above has given you an idea of what to buy for someone who has a fire and is hard to buy for 🙂

We would love to hear what your ideas are too, please feel free to comment below:

Christmas is a busy time for everyone, you need to think about the food, the guests (if you are hosting the Christmas meal), the presents and the entertainment. Here are 5 steps you may wish to follow to help you prepare for Christmas:

Presents

Making a list of all the presents you want to purchase is key because you don’t want to end up going to the shopping centre last minute and picking presents out without an idea of what to get your children, friends or family because this usually means spending more money on things you didn’t want to get in the first place but bought any way due to pressure and time.

Once you have the list you can check online where you can get the best deals from. If you can get all the presents from the same shop then not only will it save you time, it will save you money too especially if you are buying the items online, you can pay for just one delivery charge. If you are physically going into the shop, you don’t have to spend time and unnecessary money on fuel going to 5 different shops when you know they are available all from one shop.

Once you have all your presents in place and have wrapped them all up, you can move onto the second stage…

Entertainment

Who doesn’t love going into a home with a glowing warm fire in the house. It is important to have your chimney swept as you will be more likely to use your fire more often when your family and friends are over particularly during the Christmas holidays when you are more likely to throw a party. You can make your fire last longer too with a Firemizer so you don’t have to worry about refuelling your fire as often when you are playing charades or a board game with the family. Or unwrapping Christmas presents…

Decorations

Christmas is slowly creeping in now, it is time to put the Christmas tree up and decorate your house and the most focal point of your home – the fireplace. Begin by decorating the Christmas tree with your favourite colours or have a theme. Then move onto the fireplace mantel, you can hang a ‘Merry Christmas’ bunting across the mantel or stockings filled with small gifts or put festive decorations on top of the mantel such as garlands or candles. Christmas is all about being with your loved ones and food of course, so why not decorate a gingerbread man house with your loved ones and make it your focal point if you haven’t got a fireplace, it’s fun and you get to be creative and if you’re feeling extra creative why not make the gingerbread house from scratch?

Top tip: Make sure it isn’t too low to avoid the decorations from catching fire!

Food

It’s time to go food shopping for all the necessities e.g turkey, mulled wine, mince pies, vegetables, Christmas pudding etc… if you decide to buy the food a week before, make sure you keep the food refrigerated to preserve longer.

Preparing More Entertainment

Download all your favourite Christmas tunes so you can have some festive music in the background when your guests arrive or if you have time, learn a few Christmas songs you have always wanted to play on a musical instrument and impress your family and/or friends.

These are just some of our ideas to help you prepare for Christmas. We would love to hear how you prepare for in readiness for Christmas.