New Hampshire (NH) residents gear up for the chilly winter months by turning to their home heating system, such as a pellet stove or fireplace, to keep their home or business heated when the frosty air encapsulates the Granite State. However, while tossing fire wood into the wood stove or throwing pellets into the pellet stove may seem like a convenient way to keep your home or business heated, did you know that there are fire risks associated with these common home heating systems? If your home or business has recently experienced fire or soot damage caused from heating equipment, contact the Soil-Away fire damage cleanup experts, who have over 25 years of fire damage restoration experience and will work closely with you and your insurance company during the claim process.
What type of damage from heating sources can Soil-Away help with?
Chimney fire
– Many NH residents turn to their fireplace during the winter season to keep their home and family warm. Although a fireplace can be a central location for family conversations, roasting marshmallows or reading a good book, it can also be the cause of an unexpected chimney fire. Tossing painted or stained wood, magazine pages, newspaper and plastic items into the fireplace can result in an unexpected fire and emission of toxic fumes. Performing routine cleaning and maintenance can help prevent chimney fires and debris build-up. You should also know what items are safe to burn in your fireplace. If you have recently experienced a chimney fire, contact the experts at Soil-Away who have over 25 years of fire damage restoration experience.
Oil furnace puff back
– Oil furnaces are one of the most common ways that homes and businesses keep warm during the chilly winter months here in the Granite State. However, while adjusting the thermostat to raise the temperature may seem like a simple task compared to loading up a woodstove or fireplace, this home heating system can also pose a risk if not properly maintained and cleaned. An oil furnace puff back can occur when the furnace doesn’t operate and ignite properly. This may result in accumulated soot, debris and fumes backfiring through the furnace’s exhaust system. In this case, soot often travels to all parts of your home affecting everything from walls, to furniture, to clothing. Soil-Away specializes in cleaning up after an oil furnace puff back has affected your property.
Propane furnace puff back
– Similar to an oil furnace puff back, a propane furnace puff back occurs when the furnace doesn’t ignite correctly, resulting in an explosion of built-up of fumes and soot. Propane furnace puff backs can be a chaotic disaster that is characterized by oily residue and debris scattered around the home or business. Removing residue and fumes from your home or business can be an overwhelming and costly task, however, the restoration professionals at Soil-Away can assist in the cleanup process and ensuring your home or business gets back to normal.
Pellet stove fire
– According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), over 15% of all reported home fires in 2009-2013 were a result from heating equipment, such as pellet stoves. Similar to other home heating equipment, pellet stoves can also cause an unexpected fire from debris build-up, failure to perform routine cleaning and maintenance and burning poor quality pellets that can lead to excess saw dust collection. To help prevent an unexpected fire from your pellet stove, it is essential to perform routine maintenance and cleaning on the equipment, store pellets in a cool, dry location and use quality pellets for cleaner burning. Have you recently experienced a pellet stove fire? Contact the fire damage restoration experts at Soil-Away, who will work with you and your insurance company during the cleanup process.
Wood stove fire
– Wood stoves are a great way to keep warm in the frigid NH winters, and while tossing some firewood and newspapers into the wood stove may seem like a quick and easy way to keep the temperature from dipping, it is important to know that not all types of wood and materials can be placed into your woodstove. To assist in preventing any harmful impacts from your woodstove, such as an unexpected fire, it is recommended to avoid burning items such as: colored paper, newspapers, magazines, painted or treated wood and plastic items. Soil-Away professionals know the challenges of fire damage and can assist you in the fire cleanup process.
Space heater fire
– A space heater is an electric heating device that comes in various shapes and sizes, and can be mica-thermic (widespread heating), radiant (spot heating) or convective (even heating). Space heaters can be commonly used in basements, garages and other unheated areas to provide a quick and convenient way to raise the temperature. However, while space heaters may be an easy solution to heating an area, knowing what safety precautions to take can assist in the prevention of an unexpected space heater fire and costly fire damages.
