HomeKeepr Blog

A fireplace adds warmth, comfort, and charm to any home—especially during the colder months. But whether you use a traditional wood-burning fireplace or a modern gas system, regular maintenance is essential for safety, efficiency, and long-term performance. A well-maintained fireplace not only keeps your home cozy but also prevents hazards that could lead to costly repairs or dangerous situations.

Here’s everything homeowners should know about fireplace maintenance.

Having a mouse in the house can be a real pain. The little thing runs around, gets into everything, and generally causes chaos. And that’s just one little mouse. What happens when you have a much larger animal, or a nest of animals, in a harder-to-control area like a chimney?

A woodburning stove can be a great addition to your home. Not only do they provide non-electric sources of heat during the winter, but many people enjoy the dry heat provided by woodburning stoves and similar heaters and they aren’t limited to the old-school cast iron stoves. Modern woodburning stoves come in a number of styles and forms, including pellet stoves that use small wooden pellets for a more controlled burn and more manageable heat options.

For many people in North America, the weather outside is still pretty frightful, but a fire is so delightful. That is, as long as their flues are in good shape. Homeowners, especially in their first home, may not realize how much maintenance a flue requires if it’s part of a wood-burning fireplace.

Along with the provocative spending and lavish feasts that are hallmarks of the holiday season also comes the cold, the ice and the snow. Like those extra three helpings of stuffing at Aunt Linda’s have just derailed your diet, the coming weather is capable of causing significant damage (and swelling) to your home if you aren’t prepared.

Shorter days and chilly nights can mean only one thing: it’s time to fire up the fireplace. Before you get too far ahead of yourself, let’s talk about fire safety. It’s boring, possibly even a little overly dramatic at times, but the fact is that before you start that first big scorcher, there are quite a few things that you should know. This goes double if this is your first wood-burning fireplace.