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How to Keep Pests Out of Your Fireplace

Having a fireplace in your home adds many benefits and allows you to enjoy your home in ways such as improved warmth and aesthetics. There is just something so relaxing and enjoyable about being able to sit in front of the fire on a cold winter’s night. At the same time, having a fireplace in your home can also bring with it the downside of unwanted pests. The worst times of the year for this issue are Spring and Fall. 

During these times, many different insects will attempt to get into your home and will use your fireplace as a way to do so. The unfortunate reality is that insects look for a warm place to lay their eggs during the fall and your fireplace is often seen as an inviting spot. It can also act as an entryway into the rest of your home. With these points made, you have probably found yourself wondering how to keep pests out of your fireplace. 

One go-to solution that many homeowners choose is the use of a chimney top damper. These dampers close tightly and can keep unwanted pests out of your chimney. When you do open them to use your fireplace, the internal temperatures will be hot enough to deter insects from entering. It is when your fireplace is not in use that insects will seek to enter into it.

Can Bugs Come In Through the Fireplace?

Having a fireplace carries with it many benefits. Unfortunately, one of the downfalls of a fireplace is the fact that bugs can come into your home through it. Your fireplace represents a convenient way for many pests such as bugs and spiders to find their way into your home. Keeping this in mind, the following information will help you as you learn how to keep pests out of your fireplace. These tips can help you to minimize the opportunities that pests have to enter your home through your fireplace.

How Do You Keep Firewood Bugs Free?

How do you keep your firewood bugs free? This is the question that fireplace owners want the answer to. One of the things that you can do is to store your firewood on top of bricks or concrete blocks that prevent it from touching the ground. This can make a big difference when it comes to keeping those unwanted bugs off of your wood. You also want to use locally sourced firewood and you want to use it as quickly as possible as opposed to storing it for an extended time. Beyond this, it is important to always burn your oldest firewood first. The reality is that it is difficult to keep your firewood completely bug-free, but these tips can make a big difference for you.

How Do I Keep Spiders Out of My Fireplace?

Finding a spider crawling around the floor of your home or dangling from your ceiling can be an unnerving experience. Unfortunately, your fireplace is one of the key entryways that spiders can use to make their way in. 

A chimney top damper such as the popular Energy Top Plus can help to create a tight seal that will make it difficult for spiders to enter your chimney, your fireplace, and your  home. Beyond this, you can keep the following tips in mind as you work to keep spiders and bugs out of your fireplace.

Tips for Keeping Your Fireplace Pest Free

We have discussed steps that you can take to prevent the presence of spiders in your fireplace and we have discussed how to keep your firewood bugs free so that pests do not get into your home by setting up shop there. The following tips will help you in your goal of keeping your fireplace pest-free. 

  • Keep Your Fireplace Sealed Off When It Is Not in Use – Perhaps the most effective way to keep pests out of your fireplace is to make sure that it is sealed off from the rest of your house. If you do not currently have a door installed on your fireplace, it is worth considering doing so. This is particularly the case if you regularly experience issues with pests entering your home through your fireplace.
  • Burn Your Wood Quickly After Acquiring It – Another key step that you can take to keep pests out of your fireplace is to make sure that you burn your wood quickly after you acquire it. 
  • Make Sure You Burn Your Oldest Wood First – Burning the oldest firewood that you currently have is another key tip for keeping insects and spiders out of your fireplace and your home.
  • Store Your Firewood Away From Your House – It is also recommended that you keep your firewood stored some distance away from your house. It is generally recommended that you store your firewood at least 15 to 20 feet from your house. You also want to avoid piling it up against trees, bushes, or other types of shrubbery on your property.
  • Make Sure You Store Your Firewood Off the Ground – Beyond burning your oldest wood first and storing it away from your home, it is also recommended that you store it off of the ground. You can use things such as bricks or concrete blocks to elevate your firewood. Doing so will help to keep a good amount of airflow that will reduce moisture accumulation. Another benefit of this besides reducing the number of bugs in your wood is the fact that dry wood burns better in your fireplace.
  • Keep Your Flu Closed – Shutting the flue to your fireplace after you use it is another key step that you can take to keep those annoying pests out of your fireplace.
  • Routinely Check for the Presence of Unwanted Pests – The simple act of consistently looking out for unwanted pests in your firewood is another tip that will help you to avoid problems. 
  • Keep These Seasonal Tips in Mind – Some of the key seasonal tips that can help you in keeping out pests include using firewood that is locally sourced. It is also best to use wood that was harvested during late fall and winter.

Following these tips can make a major difference as you learn how to keep pests out of your fireplace. They can make a major difference in the results you get as you battle against this persistent issue faced by fireplace owners. You can find out more about this topic by contacting our team of fireplace experts here at Fireplace Concepts Inc. We are the resident fireplace pros here in the Lexington, KY region and we are always ready to help our customers out with our expertise.

JimHopper

JimHopper