The 9-Point First Fire of the Season Checklist
Nine checks, in order of urgency, that take about half an hour and tell you whether the fireplace is ready for October.
By Mark Jason, owner of NWI Chimney Sweep · 34 years in the trade
| Check | What you are looking for | If it fails |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Alarms | Working smoke and CO alarms on every level | Replace batteries or the unit today |
| 2. Flue | Daylight at the top, no nest, soot under 1/8 inch | No fire; schedule a sweep |
| 3. Damper | Opens fully and stays open | No fire until repaired |
| 4. Firebox | Tight mortar joints, no loose brick | No fire; have it inspected |
| 5. Cap and crown | Cap present, screen intact, no visible cracks | Call before the next storm |
| 6. Clearances | Nothing combustible within three feet | Move it |
| 7. Firewood | Split wood under 20 percent moisture | Burn something drier |
| 8. Draft | Smoke from a match rises up the flue | Prime the flue; call if it still spills |
| 9. Ash can | Metal container with a tight lid | Buy one before you light anything |
After 34 years of sweeping chimneys in Northwest Indiana, I can tell you the first cold snap of October produces the same handful of calls: a living room full of smoke, a bird in the firebox, a damper that will not budge. Nearly all of them are caught by the list below. If you live in town, our chimney sweep service in Merrillville can handle anything the checklist turns up.
1. Test the smoke and carbon monoxide alarms
Test every smoke and carbon monoxide alarm first, because working alarms are the only check that still protects you if another one is wrong. Press the test button on each unit, and read the manufacture date on the back. Carbon monoxide sensors wear out, and makers stamp a replacement date on the housing. An alarm past that date is a decoration.
2. Look up the flue
Open the damper, set a strong flashlight in the firebox and look straight up for daylight, nests and soot. The flue is the passage that carries smoke out, and on a straight one you should see a square of sky. Twigs, leaves or straw mean a nest. Scratch the flue wall above the damper with a poker: NFPA 211, the national chimney standard, calls for cleaning once the deposit reaches 1/8 inch. Shiny, tar-like deposit is a stop sign at any depth.
3. Work the damper through its full travel
A throat damper that has sat closed through a humid summer often rusts at the pivot. The damper is the metal plate just above the firebox that closes off the flue. Open and close it three or four times. It should move freely and hold open without being propped. A damper that slips half shut during a fire sends smoke into the room within seconds.
4. Inspect the firebox
Run a hand over the back wall and the floor once they are cold and brushed clean. Hairline surface crazing on firebrick is normal. Open joints you can slide a coin into, bricks that rock, or a back wall that bows are not, because gaps let heat reach the masonry and framing behind the firebox. Prefab fireboxes have refractory panels instead; a panel cracked all the way through should be replaced before use.
5. Check the cap and crown from the yard
Check the chimney cap and crown with binoculars from the lawn, and stay off the roof while you do it. You are looking for a cap that is still there, a screen without tears, and a concrete crown without obvious cracks or missing chunks. Lake-effect winters are hard on everything at the top of a chimney, so a cap that was sound in March is not guaranteed in October. Our cap and crown repair page explains what each part does.
6. Clear three feet around the hearth
Move everything that can burn at least three feet from the fireplace opening, which is the distance the NFPA advises. That covers baskets, pet beds, stacked newspapers and holiday stockings hung early. Check the mantel as well. A screen or glass doors stop rolling logs, but they do nothing about radiant heat.
7. Confirm the firewood is actually dry
Split one log and press a moisture meter into the fresh face; the EPA’s Burn Wise program advises burning wood under 20 percent. No meter? Knock two pieces together. Dry wood rings; wet wood thuds. Wood bought last week from a roadside pile is rarely ready.
8. Warm the flue and watch the draft
A cold exterior chimney holds a column of heavy air that pushes smoke back down. Light a rolled sheet of newspaper and hold it up near the damper for a minute. When its smoke reverses and climbs, the flue is primed and you can light a small kindling fire. Keep the first fire modest, and watch for smoke at the lintel, the top edge of the opening.
9. Set out a metal ash can with a lid
Put fireplace ash in a metal can with a tight lid, because coals buried in ash can stay hot for days. The can sits outdoors on concrete or bare ground, never on a wood deck or in the garage.
Signs it is fine
If all nine checks pass and the chimney was inspected within the past year, you are in good shape. A fireplace that drafts cleanly, has a smooth damper and shows only a thin dusting of soot does not need anything from us today.
If any of the first four items failed, book a Level 1 chimney inspection before burning. Current rates are on the pricing page.
First-fire questions from Merrillville homeowners
Is it safe to light a fire in a fireplace that has not been used in several years?
A fireplace that has sat unused for years should not be lit until it has been inspected. An idle flue can hold animal nests, fallen tile fragments or a rusted-shut damper, and none of those are visible from the hearth. Have a sweep examine the chimney first, then start with a small fire.
How big should the first fire of the season be?
The first fire of the season should be small: three or four pieces of dry kindling and two modest splits. That is enough to warm the flue and show how the fireplace drafts. Build larger fires over the next few burns once you know no smoke is leaking into the room.
Why does my house smell smoky after the first fire in the fall?
A light smell during the first fire of fall is usually dust burning off the firebox, and it fades within hours. A smoky smell that lingers into the next day usually means smoke spilled past the top of the opening or soot was disturbed above the damper, and either one deserves an inspection.
Should fireplace glass doors be open or closed during a fire?
On most masonry fireplaces with standard tempered-glass doors, burn with the glass doors open and the mesh screen closed, then shut the glass as the fire dies down. Check the door maker’s instructions, because some fireplace doors use ceramic glass that is built for closed-door burning.
Something on the checklist did not pass?
Call and tell us which check failed. We sweep and inspect seven days a week, 7am to 9pm.
Call (219) 203-9797