Several things can make our mountain homes feel as cozy as the warmth generated by a wood stove. But having an open fire, of any kind, inside a home can come with its share of dangers.

One of the most important things you can do to protect yourself and keep chimney fires from getting out of control is to keep up with its maintenance, including cleaning and proper wood usage.

As the name implies, a wood stove is for burning wood, healthy wood. Wood stove users should avoid using driftwood, trash, artificial logs, and materials that contain zinc, sulfur, lead, or plastic. Burning these in your wood stove can severely damage the catalytic combustor, which operates at extremely high temperatures to reburn the gasses and particulates from burning wood. A healthy catalytic combustor provides increased efficiency, fewer emissions, and longer burn times.

Wood stoves should be inspected and cleaned by a professional before starting your first fire of the season and after the last use. While heating your home, make sure to burn a slow fire. Adding too much wood can weaken the stove over time, and it causes you to spend more money on fuel than necessary.

Too much creosote can be dangerous and start unwanted fires. To test if your wood stove needs urgent cleaning, tap on the flue when it is cold. If you hear debris falling, your stove could use a good cleaning.

Adding creosote sweeping logs or creosote fighting powder products to your fire will help combat creosote build-up. These products and physically sweeping your wood-burning stove’s flue at least once a year will help tremendously.

Another tip is not to leave your wood stove unattended while burning. It’s tempting to save money on electricity or propane by using your wood stove as a primary heat source and leaving it burning while you’re away from the house. But at the chance of losing your home?

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) there is an average of 4,000 residential wood stove chimney fires each year. Keeping your wood stove up to par will help keep you safe and help the wood stove’s longevity.

Here’s one more fun tip for those with glass doors. If you can catch the wood in the charcoal stage, pull it out and allow it to cool. Take the cold piece of charcoal, dampen it and rub it on the blackened inside of the glass door. The black residue should begin to disappear. Finally, wipe it with a paper towel and enjoy the glow of your fire.