Do You Need A Fireplace Screen

All gas fireplaces and stoves with glass fronts manufactured after january 1 2015 are required to have a fireplace screen.

Do you need a fireplace screen.

If you have a carpet just in front of the fireplace or a wooden or plastic floor close to the fire it is always necessary to put a fireplace screen in front of the fire. It prevents sparks from coming out of the fire into the room or children pets and for example newspapers from being able to reach the fire. The fireplace screen is also used to fill the empty hole of the fireplace when the fire is not lit. A fireplace screen can be typically found as a wire mesh surrounded by a sturdy frame which can be placed on the hearth of a fireplace.

Mesh curtains minimize the risk of hot embers or sparks popping out of your fireplace and burning your flooring or catching your home on fire. Either of those scenarios create the potential for a fire and serious damage to furniture and injury to people or pets who lie near the fire. You always need a fireplace screen. Do you always need a fireplace screen.

In addition the fireplace screen has a decorative function. However experienced you are with stoking a fire a fireplace screen is always needed in order to reduce the risk of fire or burns. This helps to keep the room clean and prevent accidental fires. Only mount a tv above a fireplace if temperatures in that spot do not surpass 100 degrees fahrenheit.

Fireplace screens are detachable or sometimes freestanding constructions that serve primarily to prevent embers and ash from be blown into the room in the event of a downdraft. This safety standard was put into effect by the american national standards institute in order to reduce the number of accidental burns associated with touching the hot glass panels of gas fireplaces. This image also from better home and gardens shows an arched screen covering a standard rectangular opening. Alternately if you have a small square opening you can add a screen that arches right over the sides and top.

You may have luck with a fireplace that produces less heat features a deep mantel and strong. The primary function of a fireplace screen is to keep ash and embers from blowing into the room if you have a down draft or if a drifting log disrupts the underlying embers. If the fireplace is quite large and there is a semi arch you can have the screen stop at the height where it begins to arch.