Using Fireplace Screens to prevent Fires

What are fireplace screens? They are generally screens that wrap around your fireplace or sit in front of the fireplace on the hearth. If you bury logs they typically have air pockets in the logs. Other wood may also have air pockets which when heated can cause the air to rise inside the wood causing a crackle or popping sound. These sounds and the smell of a fire is what most people enjoy about having a fire to warm up to. However, occasionally one of these popping sounds can cause a heated coal to go fly through the air landing outside a fire pit or fireplace. This popping can be dangerous if the hot coal fly’s out and lands on the carpet in your home. 

The screen like fireplace doors was designed to help prevent the hot coals from being shot into your home when you have a fire. The popping can be so loud at times people enjoying the fire could miss a tiny little coal that lands on a couch or carpet and begins to slowly fester until a flame ignites causing the home to catch on fire when the home owner has closed the fireplace doors and left the room for the evening or the rest of the day believing the doors will protect the inside of their home and the fire will slowly burn itself out.

To help prevent these tiny coals from shooting out of the fireplace a screen is placed in front of the fire allowing people to still enjoy the fire and not having to worry about small coals being shot out and landing in unexpected places. In addition to helping prevent coals from coming out the fireplace screens can help prevent logs from rolling out of the fireplace and landing on the floor or hearth if the logs shift while they are burning. This is especially true when it comes to iron fireplace screens, which are excellent at holding a smoldering log in place until it can be grabbed and placed back on the fireplace grate.

You can topically purchase your screen from most hardware stores like Home Depot or Lowes unless you are looking for a custom fireplace screens in which case several companies online make screens and will ship them to you. You typically need to know the design you are looking for and approximately how much you are willing to spend for safety and appearance. You can expect to pay between $80.00-$300.00 if you purchase a standard 1-3 fold screen from place like home depot or Lowes who keep fireplace screens in stock.