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Fireplaces

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logo89

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Since it is getting so cold here we have been thinking about starting up the fireplace and I was wondering about safety with Lucy. It is a gas burning one. I know the obvious make sure she doesn't get to it I was more concerned about fumes. Should I be worried about this? Thanks for any help.
 

Sharpie

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So long as the flue and everything are clean and it's venting properly outside, there should be no problems.
 

J*M*L

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I just make sure my birds are not downstairs when I start the fire so that they don't breath in any gas.
 

f3ath3rs2

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What about the materials in the fireplace too? The metal around it, the glass, the "logs" do they put off any fumes (teflon?) as they warm up? I've been wondering this as well...
 

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So long as the flue and everything are clean and it's venting properly outside, there should be no problems.
We just had it all cleaned and inspected this past fall so I think all of that is good.
I just make sure my birds are not downstairs when I start the fire so that they don't breath in any gas.
So just initially you need to have the birds out of the room to prevent them from smelling the natural gas?
What about the materials in the fireplace too? The metal around it, the glass, the "logs" do they put off any fumes (teflon?) as they warm up? I've been wondering this as well...
Good questions I didnt even think about the "logs" but I think they are concrete so I think would be ok but I would like to know for sure.
 

Anne & Gang

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I work for a fireplace manufacturer..you may have to pay to make sure it is in completely good working order..but gas and propane are considered the safest around humans and animals.....
 

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would your birds be free flying around your fire? If so there is the danger of them landing on somepart that is hot? They are not aware of the dangers and could unintensionally injure themselves?
Expect you have all that side of it sorted out though beforehand. Our fire stays off until they are all back in their cages. Then the central heating is on anyway.
 

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Propane is not safe for birds just other pets
 

logo89

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I work for a fireplace manufacturer..you may have to pay to make sure it is in completely good working order..but gas and propane are considered the safest around humans and animals.....
We did pay a company to come out here to check it and clean it.
would your birds be free flying around your fire? If so there is the danger of them landing on somepart that is hot? They are not aware of the dangers and could unintensionally injure themselves?
Expect you have all that side of it sorted out though beforehand. Our fire stays off until they are all back in their cages. Then the central heating is on anyway.
Lucy wont be in the same room as the fireplace our lower story is all open so she will still get the heat but not close enough to get to the fire.
Propane is not safe for birds just other pets
Ours is natural gas not propane.

So from what everyone has said overall I am gathering that it is safe to use?
 

itzmered

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Propane is not safe for birds just other pets
Our furnace and kitchen stove are both propane and I have never had any problems.
 

Kimba

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maybe it is different if it is pumped into your house, But I know that the propane space heaters are a no no, the fumes are bad. Don't know if fire places that use them are ok or not, but I would worry.
 

birdlvr466

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I believe we had a thread about this on another forum. Maybe we can have JL Cribber comment on this. As long as it is vented outside, I dont think there is any problem with propane or gas fireplaces.
 

Sharpie

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maybe it is different if it is pumped into your house, But I know that the propane space heaters are a no no, the fumes are bad. Don't know if fire places that use them are ok or not, but I would worry.
The big difference is venting. If you're talking about the self contained space heaters, you're not even supposed to use them inside for people (in the US anyway, in Japan, that's pretty much all my family used and they all have a warning that you're only supposed to use them for X amount of time and then open the windows) because all the by products of combustion, including carbon monoxide, wind up in the air you're breathing. In fireplaces, those fumes are vented outside through the chimney rather than winding up indoors (assuming everything is working properly).
 

ortegah

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Just make sure you have a working carbon monoxide detector close by.
 

JLcribber

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There are 2 kinds of fireplaces. The old style with a concrete firebox and a plain old chimney are not very safe IMO. Even with glass doors. For one thing they are just giant heat suckers and don't really heat the room. You may get some radiant heat from the flame but they are 90% "inefficient". They draw air from the room to fuel the fire and pump all the heat up and out the chimney. Here in Alberta they basically outlawed them in any new construction. Not to mention that when they draw room air they also burn up oxygen.

The thing I worry most about those is a back draft that would allow all the gases and smoke to fill the room if the chimney is not good and hot to draw the smoke and flames up the chimney when they are started. If you've ever tried to start a fire in a cold fireplace you will know what I mean.

The modern style fireplace is a 2 chamber system where the firebox is completely sealed and separate from the warm air portion. The fire draws cold air from outside and then goes up the chimney. It never mixes with room air. This heats the air in the second chamber around the firebox which is separate and never mixes with the gases or smoke. There is a vent on the bottom of that second chamber that draws cool room air in and a vent at the top where the clean heated air is pushed back into the room. Some even have a fan to make that air move more. This is the only legal system we are allowed to install in new homes. It's the only one that is truly safe IMO and the only kind that actually produces usable heat instead of just drawing heat from the house and blowing it up the chimney.

Anything that burns fuel gives off fumes and gases. If they are exposed to the same air we breathe there is a chance it will enter the room. Birds are super sensitive to things in the air. Remember the how miners used to bring a canary into the mines with them as an early warning system. When the canary dropped dead that meant it was time to run in the other direction. It affected them much earlier than it did the miners. :(
 
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logo89

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Well we have the one chamber one is what we have and I dont feel comfortable using it now thanks for letting me know though John. So now I need to buy a space heater. Are ther any specific ones that you all would recommend?
 

birdlvr466

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Thank you John for posting. John is the same true for Propane fireplaces, the new setup you describe? We are thinking of adding a propane fireplace when we renovate our attached garage into a family room. The birds would be in the next room over from that room but there will also be a door on the new room separating the two rooms.
 

ellimaye

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Anything that burns fuel gives off fumes and gases. If they are exposed to the same air we breathe there is a chance it will enter the room. Birds are super sensitive to things in the air.
John, we have a ventless gas log fireplace (the flue is closed). We haven't turned it on since we've had Joey because our Veterinarian suggested if we used it to make sure she was out of the room.
What are your thoughts on this kind of fireplace?
 

itzmered

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The modern style fireplace is a 2 chamber system where the firebox is completely sealed and separate from the warm air portion. The fire draws cold air from outside and then goes up the chimney. It never mixes with room air. This heats the air in the second chamber around the firebox which is separate and never mixes with the gases or smoke. There is a vent on the bottom of that second chamber that draws cool room air in and a vent at the top where the clean heated air is pushed back into the room. Some even have a fan to make that air move more. This is the only legal system we are allowed to install in new homes. It's the only one that is truly safe IMO and the only kind that actually produces usable heat instead of just drawing heat from the house and blowing it up the chimney.
We have 2 of these types of woodstoves in our house. We use both of them we never smell smoke in our house.
 
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