Wood Burning Fireplace...Safe?

[KimKimWilliamson]

We are looking at moving to the country, and we've just viewed many properties all with wood burning stoves or fireplaces as a main heating source.

I have had them in the past, but never while being a parrot owner. Im wondering what the safety risks are, other than the obvious of them accidently flying into the fire, or buring themselves on the hardware.
Will the smell and/or minimal smoke that circulates through the house be harmful? Would keeping them at the top of the house while the fireplace is at the bottom?

Anyone with wood burning fireplaces have nay input/experiences?

 

[Saemma]

Here's an interesting thread.

http://forums.avianavenue.com/bird-...e-worries-how-do-you-keep-your-baby-safe.html

 

[Feather]

I have a woodstove . . . I just keep my birds out of the room it's in during the winter months to prevent anyone from landing on it while it's on. Even when it's off, I try to keep them trained that its off limits.

 

[rikkitikki]

Oh my gosh, I was just doing the same thing (likewithin the past couple of hours), and was wondering the same! (daydreaming about moving out to Oregon )
A lot of the houses I looked at had wood burning stoves and I was thinking about what in the heck I could do with them (other than use them as a stove), or where I would put Bean...

 

[Erin1979]

I have two fireplaces and I've always used them while having birds. Sometimes it was our only source of heat when we have lost power. I would avoid duraflame and other quick start logs that put off fumes. No Chimney Sweeping Logs, invest is a person to come out and do it once a year, they can do it chemical-free.
Natural woods should be fine, I have never had an issue. Make sure they are kept clean and you should not get smoke in the house.
I have screens in front of mine, but I am still always cautious with my flighted birds.

 

[Erin1979]

(daydreaming about moving out to Oregon )

Yay Oregon! We need more bird people.

 

[JLcribber]

It has a lot to do with what kind of fireplace they are. Modern fireplaces have a two chamber system where the fire and fumes/gases are enclosed, vented to the outside and do not mix with the interior air. The fire chamber heats the air in the second chamber which is circulated in the house and the two never mix.

Older style fireplaces that just have one brick firebox and a chimney are very inefficient as a source of heat. 80% or more of the heat generated goes right out the chimney and actually sucks warm air out of the room to create the draft up the chimney. Glass doors help a little to stop that flow but also block the radiant heat.

The biggest danger with any fireplace come when trying to light a cold one. The chimney needs to be warm in order to create that updraft. Without that you run the risk of a backdraft which can "fill" a room with smoke which isn't good for anybody. You or the birds.

It's recommended to burn a bunch of crumpled up newspaper that burns hot and quickly for a few minutes just to heat the chimney before starting the real fire.

Once its burning and hot it's pretty safe but I would not have my birds anywhere near it when lighting.

 

[Shyra]

John's right about older fireplaces. We almost froze the first winter we moved to WV. Being it's an older house all the heat including what there was in the room already went right up the chimney. The following year we invested in a pellet stove that fits into the fireplace. Wonderful invention.

 

[Sunnyside]

Anne can answer this question She worked many years in the industry and pretty much knows everything about them with our fids. It is my understanding you are never to put a bird in a room with a wood burning fireplace. However, I believe pellet stoves are OK. I just bought a pellet stove for my basement and I made sure to get one that will not heat up on top. Hopefully Anne will see this and tell you more specifics .

 

[Anne & Gang]

I worked for 17 years for a fireplace manufacturer..yes, John is correct about the newer woodburning fireplaces MOST OF THEM have the two chamber system BUT NOT ALL...You must check before you purhcase and it can be pricey..also there are some provinces where woodburning fireplaces are illegal Kim...do not take the realtors word for it..Call city hall and find out for yourself...If legal and older, then you absolutely have to get them checked and maintained by a "certified wood" professional...this is not something you can do yourself...And if they have the older style single chamber system (even found in newer wood stoves and fireplaces) you cannot use them safely around the birds..OUr senior technical people emphasized this over & over again...we stopped using ours as a result...pellet stoves are safe..as are gas and propane. All those who say they have never had an issue with using wood burning fireplaces around their fids...it is a chance you take...After hearing our tech people (and while at wood training courses in other manufacturing faciltities...) and other tech people say no, that is good enough for me...They may say something totally different to the public because of course they want to sell fireplaces...

 

[Anne & Gang]

also for everyone's information..and we came across a lot of this..our legal department advised a lot of people and insurance companies...when you get the technician in (either a person with a certified gas fitters license, propane license or wood license) demand to see their license..they will have a wallet sized version they can show..make sure it is current & not expired..In fact, you can ask for a photocopy of it either from them or from the company they work for..good idea to keep this photocopy on hand...Your home owner's insurance could depend on it...there have been a few instances where the insurance policy states that all heating devices (which includes, gas, propane, wood, pellets, whatever) must be maintained at least once a year by a CERTIFIED technician. Should your house burn down, the onus will be on you to provide this evidence to the insurance company...If you cannot prove that your technician was certified, then your homeowner's insurance will be deemed NULL AND VOID..just another hint..happened to a coworker of mine...Her house burned down at Christmas from a totally unrelated incident..(faulty wiring in her Christmas tree lights)...but she could not produce the certificate that said her fireplace was maintained by a certified technician..(in fact, it had not been)...She got nothing, even after a lawyer advised her..

 

[KimKimWilliamson]

Thanks for the great advice everyone! Especially John and Anne!

I actually worked for a Fireplace/Stove retailer for years as the Service Co-Ordinator. (We also sold swimming pools and hot tubs, and did water - I am certified in water analyis for pools and hot tubs!) I booked the service calls for chimney cleaning and inspections, so I am aware of the precautions to take in respect to cleaning and maintaining a safe fireplace/woodstove, not to mentioned the legal requirements when selling your home with a stove or fireplace present. I wasnt aware of the different technologies in newer and older chimneys though.....

The particular home we are looking was built in the 70's, and it has a huge three storey brick wood burning fireplace in the center of the bottom floor.
When you say "newer"...how new are we talking?

Im shocked Pellet stoves are so popular among AA members.....the store I worked for sold few of them....the pellets were expensive, they were loud and often ugly and combersome, and the SMELL!!!! Yuck!! This was only 6 years ago or so.....I cant imagine they have changed much since then.


Anyhow, we have intentions of having the chimney cleaned and inspected prior to moving in, as the home has been sitting empty for a long time.
And we had intentions of keeping the birds in a "bird room" (which happens to have a screened in porch attached!!!!) with a door on the front, as this home has many dangers for them including floor to ceiling windows in one side of the three story house and random nooks and crannys we cant reach. So Im not too worried about them getting burned....I just wasnt sure about odours or invisible dusts/creosotes etc that might get into the air and affect thier respiratory systems.

 

[Anne & Gang]

oh the 70's...that is DEFINITELY considered older....by newer, we are talking within the last 5 years or so...double chamber technology is very new...also be careful of the provincial regulations...You say you worked in the same industry..but things change so rapidly Kim..please make sure wood is still legal in Alberta.. and DO NOT rely on what the home inspector says about the fireplace unless he does have a wood certificate..(some of them do, some of them don't).. and if you watch Holmes Inspection on tv, you will know that many homes pass certification, and they are far from perfect....as for pellets...it is a very popular choice in the U>S> not so much here...Despite the fact that they smell, they are a lot more cost efficient and the emissions are not toxic for birds....Wood smoke is considered toxic--if you do not notice the effects right away...they build up over the years..Kim, we are not talking if they are in a different room...we are talking in the same room..it is the invisible dust and creosotes you have to worry about that definitely matter, even for yourself...which is why wood is still illegal in many provinces and in some U>S> states.

 

[Shyra]

In regards to the pellet stoves - it's all in the quality of the stove and the pellets. If you get the cheaper pellets like Walmart sells you get the smell plus they don't burn as hot. We've also gotten pellets that created such a bad residue that it literally killed the thermostats and clogged the exhaust pipe. A good stove along with a good pellet has no odor, burns clean with hardly any ash, and can keep a house nice a toasty warm. It's truly a case doing your research and not skimp because one brand's cheaper.

 

[KimKimWilliamson]

Thanks Anne, all things to consider!
Im for sure still a little leary on the idea, but I havent even placed an offer on a house yet....just trying to be prepared.

 

[camelotshadow]

I worked for 17 years for a fireplace manufacturer..yes, John is correct about the newer woodburning fireplaces MOST OF THEM have the two chamber system BUT NOT ALL...You must check before you purhcase and it can be pricey..also there are some provinces where woodburning fireplaces are illegal Kim...do not take the realtors word for it..Call city hall and find out for yourself...If legal and older, then you absolutely have to get them checked and maintained by a "certified wood" professional...this is not something you can do yourself...And if they have the older style single chamber system (even found in newer wood stoves and fireplaces) you cannot use them safely around the birds..OUr senior technical people emphasized this over & over again...we stopped using ours as a result...pellet stoves are safe..as are gas and propane. All those who say they have never had an issue with using wood burning fireplaces around their fids...it is a chance you take...After hearing our tech people (and while at wood training courses in other manufacturing faciltities...) and other tech people say no, that is good enough for me...They may say something totally different to the public because of course they want to sell fireplaces...

My neighborin the house out back uses a fireplace to heat.
The smell is so strong around my apoartment house.
The house is old & who knows what system it uses.

Not sure of regulations here about air pollution but are those fumes from a house say 25 feet away potentially dangerous to my bird?

 

[Laurul Feather Cat]

My back up heat for the birdroom is a wood/coal stove. I keep it cleaned and in repair with yearly inspections and cleanings and when I need to use it I am very careful to make sure I do not allow smoke in the room or coal gas. No problems and it helps to know I have alternate heat if the power goes out.

 

[JLcribber]

Not sure of regulations here about air pollution but are those fumes from a house say 25 feet away potentially dangerous to my bird?

If the fumes are strong enough and say coming directly into one of your open windows they can definitely be dangerous to your bird (and you if it is a constant thing).

What you are smelling is the full strength exhaust from the chimney. As mentioned some places have outlawed wood burning fireplaces because if everybody starts burning fires it's a definite pollution hazard.

 

[Kolin83]

Is any natural wood ok or only certain types? Also, if there is no smoke inside but you can smell the fire smell is it safe to have my sun in the same room?

 

[Anne & Gang]

no wood is safe around birds period....no it is not safe to have your bird in the same room.