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Search the FireplaceMall Article Library for information to help you enjoy and care for your chimney, fireplace, outdoor
fireplace and hearth side.
Have a Question? Check the Subject Index.
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Decorating Your Fireplace Mantel for Christmas:
Fill Up the Glassware with Free or Inexpensive Wintery Items
© 2008 PennVentures Inc.
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Looking for a quick, inexpensive or free way to use things you alread have and give your fireplace mantel an undated Christmas arrangement? Bring out the glassware and fill it up
with small wintery holiday items......[more]
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Stinky Fireplace? Solutions for Fireplace Odors
© 2008 PennVentures Inc.
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 Do you smell sour wood smoke after your fire burns out? You may
have stinky fireplace! Most cases of stinky fireplace are caused by moisture from rain or snow that has soaked into the flue liner and the
soot deposits in the chimney. The first steps.........................[more]
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Bring the Beach to Your Fireplace Mantel
© 2007 PennVentures Inc.
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 The sand is no longer between your toes, and the beach towels are put away, but your
summer beach vacation need not end. By bringing mementos of your coastal holiday to your fireplace mantel and hearth, you
can extend your enjoyment of your lakeside or seaside vacation......................................................[more]
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Decorating a Fireplace Mantel:
Candlesticks and Fireplace Accessories
© 2007 PennVentures Inc.
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Candles, with good reason, are often-used decorative accessories on
fireplace mantels. Lit candles add flames that complement the glow of a working fireplace, and the candlesticks add height to the mantel display. Yet the
candlesticks also need to be of a material that will harmonize with, not work against, your fireplace accessories..................................................[more
]
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Fireplace Mantel Mirrors:
Five Mirror Decorating Tricks for over Your Fireplace
© 2007 PennVentures Inc.
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Mirrors are a traditional way to decorate a fireplace mantel. They add light to the room and seem to expand the area. But just because
mirrors are traditional over fireplaces does not mean they need to be used in traditional ways. Below are five decorating ideas for how to use mirrors over your fireplace
mantel..............................................................................[more]
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 Decorating Your Fireplace for New Years
© 2007 PennVentures Inc.
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Your fireplace is a great place to decorate when welcoming in the New Year. Here are three ideas for decorating your fireplace mantel and your
fireplace for New Year's Eve or New Year's Day..........................[more]
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Five Fireplace and Chimney New Year's Resolutions
© 2006 PennVentures Inc.
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Start the New Year right...right in front of your fireplace! These 5 New Year's Resolutions will help you make the
most of your fireplace!....[more]
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Christmas Fireplace Safety
© 2006 PennVentures Inc.
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 In the famous Christmas poem, the stockings were not just "hung by the chimney;" they were hung "with care." Even in the midst of
describing a nocturnal visit from Santa, the author noted one important aspect of Christmas fireplace safety!
Following are some essential Christmas fireplace safety issues to keep
in mind during the holidays:.....................................................[more]
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How Tall Should Chimney Caps Be?
© 2006 PennVentures Inc.
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Standard chimney caps come in a variety of heights. Some brands of chimney caps are available in heights ranging from 8 inches to 16 inches, but
most chimney caps have 10" tall screens. So does the screen height of chimney caps matter? Yes and no. If you are using chimney caps ..[more]
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Chimney Caps with 3/4 Inch Mesh or
Chimney Caps with 5/8 Inch Mesh:
What's the Difference?
© 2006 PennVentures Inc.
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Decorating Your Fireplace Mantel
with the "Three Plus One" Trick
© 2006 PennVentures Inc.
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You've found the perfect mirror, painting, quilt, tapestry, or element to center above your fireplace mantel. But
how will you decorate the fireplace mantel itself to get that "decorator look"?
One trick decorators use on fireplace mantels is "Three Plus One." Here's how it works:
...........................................................................[more]
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Decorating Your Fireplace
for Springtime and Easter
© 2005-2006 PennVentures Inc.
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Sure you decorate your fireplace and mantel for the winter holidays, but don't forget this important focal point in your room as Spring approaches. Here are some
nearly-instant ideas for springtime and Easter fireplace decorating:................................................................................[more]
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A Quick Guide to
New Fireplace Screen Shapes
© 2005 PennVentures Inc.
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Thinking about a new fireplace screen for your hearth? There are more
options available now than just a few years ago. Don't be overwhelmed by the possibilities for fireplace accessories, though. Here's a quick
guide to fireplace screen shapes.
Fireplace screens vary by the number of panels they have, by whether the panels are straight or bowed, by the shape of the top of the screen, and by whether they have access doors. There is also a distinction between fireplace screens and fireplace spark guards...............................[
more]
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Firebacks: Which Type is Better
for My Fireplace?
© 2005 PennVentures Inc.
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Firebacks come in two types: stainless steel firebacks and cast iron
firebacks. Both types can be merely leaned against the back of your fireplace or stood in "feet" or brackets. And both types of firebacks
also protect the back wall of your fireplace. But each type of fireback does have its own advantages.........................................[more
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As the weather hints of warmth and the spring buds appear on trees, firewood may not be
the first thing that comes to mind. But early spring is the ideal time to buy or gather your firewood for your fireplace or
woodstove. Why? Here are 5 good reasons: ..............................[more]
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Not all firewood is created equal. If you have ever tried burning wood
that is too green; too long for your fireplace or woodstove; or too full of bugs, detritus, or sap, you know this already!
Know the length you want your pieces of firewood to be before cutting or purchasing firewood for either your fireplace or woodstove. For a fireplace, consider the length of your grate. If your wood is too short, ....[more]
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How much firewood should I buy, and when should I buy it? These
are questions that may lead busy homeowners to postpone ordering their firewood. Here are some answers from fireplace experts.
There's no surefire way to figure out how much firewood you will need for a year, but there are
some guidelines for estimating. In 1998, Vermont homeowners who heat primarily with wood burned almost 5 cords; those who burned wood as a
supplement to other home heating.........[more]
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It's not very difficult to choose exactly the right chimney cap for your home, especially if you take it one step at a time. There are just four things to consider: shape, type, metal, and size.
First, what shape should your chimney cap be?
Look at your
chimney and find the flue, the pipe that lets the smoke out. It's either round, square or rectangular. ...................................[more
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You're convinced. You really do need a chimney cap to keep the rain from damaging your chimney flue and to keep
squirrels, raccoons, and bats from taking up residence. You have carefully measured your flue(s) and ordered the correct chimney cap. While
you wait for it to arrive, give a few minutes thought to its installation. Here's how:......................................[more]
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A
fireplace candelabra is a special way to make the natural focal point of a room, its fireplace, glow with the romance and beauty of a fire even when there are no burning logs. Here are some simple, quick tips for making the most of your fireplace candelabra.
First, some ideas about inexpensive ways to get the most razzle-dazzle out of your fireplace candelabra:
Place a mirror under your fireplace candelabra and let it reflect the candlelight.
.................................................................[more]
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Every fireplace candelabra needs candles, of course. But candles in your fireplace candelabra provide more than fickering flames; they provide color, visual interest, mood, aroma, and drama to your room. These candle decorating tips add style and charm to your fireplace candelabra.
- Don't get in a rut and use the same style of candle every time. Try pillars, spherical candles, and tapers. Votive candles.......[more
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You don't have to be an Eagle Scout to make a good
fire in your fireplace. You just have to use a tried and trusted method.
Let us assume (Ahem!) that you've had your chimney inspected and cleaned so that there's no
build-up of flammable creosote to worry about. You've taken the old ashes to your compost pile, or you .........[more]
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For some people, a fireplace might as well be a video of flaming logs. Their
primary interest is the welcoming ambiance a fireplace's blaze presents. If, however, you expect your fireplace to provide heat in exchange for
your log-carrying, fire-building efforts, (or in the case of gas logs, in exchange for your gas bill), it's time to maximize your fireplace's heat
output.
There are various contraptions designed to return more of a wood or gas fireplace's heat into the room and stanch the flow of
that precious heat from escaping up the chimney. Many of them involve fans and vents and considerable expense. But one of the most
time-honored, hassle-free, and least expensive methods of increasing a fire's heat output, and therefore your fireplace's energy efficiency, is making
a comeback: the fireback.
[more]
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If you're planning some decorations for your fireplace, or if you just want to
get rid of the unsightly build up of soot, you are probably wondering how to clean your fireplace without making a mess. Cleaning your fireplace
may look like a forbidding job, but if you take it step-by-step you'll neither swear nor sweat. This tested method has worked on fireplaces up to
100 years old. ...............................................[more]
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If you have a fireplace, you have a hole in your roof. That hole, your chimney's
flue, sucks the warm air from your furnace, fireplace, or woodstove right out of your house.
Traditionally, a cast iron throat damper is placed inside your flue and is opened only when you are using your
fireplace. But even brand new cast iron throat dampers are notorious for letting heat leak out of homes. And older ones that have
deteriorated, warped, or rusted allow that heat to gush out of your home. ..........................................................[more
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Time for a new chimney cap? Do you have a round flue but are not sure which of the many chimney caps for
round flues is best for you? Our quick and easy Selection Guide Table for Chimney Caps for Round Flues will help your pick the chimney cap best
suited to the type of round flue you have and any special conditions, such as drafting problems, your fireplace or chimney
has.........................................................................[more]
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While you are cleaning leaves out of your home's
gutters, dealing with Christmas lights, or adjusting a satellite dish, don't forget to check on your chimney caps while you're on the roof....A
once-a-year check on your chimney caps can be well worth your time for protecting your house. Here are four things to check on your chimney
caps:.........................[more].
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For picnic tables, decks, porches, and sidewalks,
decorators are using an unusual source of candle lighting. Fireplace candelabra—those
candle holders intended for fireplaces—have moved outside for the summer!
[
more]
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Shiny, silver or chrome toned metals are joining
the more conventional brass and wrought iron ones for fireplace accessories. Are brushed steel, pewter, chrome, or satin nickel fireplace
accessories right for your hearth?
[
more]
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Before You Hang Your Stockings by the Chimney
with Care,
Be Sure Your Fireplace is Santa-Ready
© 2005 PennVentures Inc.
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When you hang those stockings from the mantel, you're calling even more
attention than usual to the natural focal point of your room, the fireplace. Especially at this time of year, you want your fireplace and
fireplace accessories to look their best. Here's a quick fireplace checklist to help you prepare your hearth for the Christmas
season........................[more]
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Smoky Fireplace? Here's How to Fix It
© 2007 PennVentures Inc.
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A
fireplace that allows smoke to escape into the room (back puffing) is a nuisance and a downright danger because fireplace smoke carries odorless but deadly carbon monoxide. Diagnosing the cause of your smoky fireplace is essential to finding the most efficient and cost effective solution to your back puffing................................................................................[
more]
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A Sweetheart of a Fireplace Candelabra:
A Special Valentine's Gift
© 2007 PennVentures Inc.
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A
fireplace candelabra is a unique way to say "Happy Valentine's Day" to a special someone! Chocolates are full of calories and trans fats. Flowers fade and die (not the message you want to convey about your love!) But a fireplace candelabra lasts and lasts, and brings romantic candlelight into your Valentine's life time and time again. .....................................[
more]
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Decorating Your Fireplace Mantel for Christmas:
Fill Up the Glassware with Free or Inexpensive Wintery Items
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Looking for a quick, inexpensive or free way to use things you already have and give your fireplace mantel an
updated Christmas arrangement? Bring out the glassware and fill 'em up!........................................[more]
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Picture Guide to Types of Round Flues: Help Selecting the
Appropriate Chimney Cap for Round Flues
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If you are not familiar with terms such as Solid Pack, Double Wall Air Insulated, Triple Wall, Flexible Liner, or Masonry Flue, have no
fear! Just compare your flue with these illustrations to determine which style of round flue you have and the specific models of chimney caps appropriate for each type of
flue.................................................................................[more]
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