RISMEDIA, March 2, 2011—In the winter, there’s nothing as idyllic as sitting by a gently crackling fireplace with a cup of cider or hot cocoa, feeling the warmth from your toes to your soul. The essence of comfort and luxury, a fireplace is the focal point of a home. But, in order to ensure many more years of fireside moments—and to keep something beautiful from becoming potentially dangerous—some regular maintenance is required, as well as a keen eye toward safety.

When most people think of fireplaces, they recall traditional ones, found in older and classic homes. In a traditional fireplace, the fire is encased in a metal firebox lined with special firebrick. Smoke moves up a flue, which is typically a tile or metal liner inside a masonry chimney. A flue damper keeps air from escaping when the fireplace isn’t being used; and the smoke shelf, behind the damper, stops outside air from coming in and pushing harmful smoke into the living area.

Besides traditional fireplaces, though, there are plenty of other types. A heat-circulating fireplace produces some radiant heat, but mainly warms the air that circulates around the firebox; some have a fan that increases the air flow. A gas fireplace is mostly decorative and takes gas logs. By contrast, direct-vent fireplaces are like a wood-burning heat circulator—cool air enters at the bottom, is warmed, and rises out the vent at the top; the CO is expelled out the rear, so there is no need for a chimney. Finally, if you have a modern home or apartment, there’s a good chance you’ll have a modern wood stove—they’re desirable because they’re more efficient that a heat-circulating fireplace.

Enforce the move-out rules

By Robert Griswold
Inman News™

February 24, 2011

Q: What are the tenant's responsibilities for cleaning after moving out? Is it acceptable for them to leave trash and unwanted household goods behind? As a landlord, what legal rights do I have to enforce the proper cleaning of my property?

A: This is a very important question and a concern of all landlords. This is also one area where, with some advance notice and preparation, you can have a positive impact on your experience as a landlord.

No, it is not acceptable for your tenant to leave the rental unit full of trash and unwanted household items, and that is the simple answer to your question. But it is my opinion and experience that you can take steps to make this a more likely scenario than you might think.

I know there are some unethical landlords who actually want their tenants to leave the rental unit in less-than-perfect condition. They don't mind because they can then charge the tenant excessive fees for basic cleaning and simple repairs.

Some sneaky landlords will even upgrade the rental unit and improperly charge the tenant for work. I have heard of landlords who brag that they "never have returned a security deposit." This is wrong, and luckily those landlords are very few in number, but they make a bad name for all landlords.

Find out which items are must-haves for upper-floor bedrooms

By Paul Bianchina
Inman News™

February 25, 2011

You're sound asleep when you hear the wail of your home's smoke alarm. A fire has started somewhere in your home, smoke begins to fill the rooms, and you have only minutes -- maybe seconds -- to get everyone out safely.

It's a scenario that none of us ever want to think about. But it happens with surprising regularity. The U.S. Fire Administration reports that once every minute there's a fire in an American home that's severe enough to report to the fire department.

An average of 2,600 people die every year in house fires in the U.S. -- that's one person every three hours -- and an average of 13,000 people are injured.

Smoke alarms
Obviously, one of the most important things you can do to protect yourself is to install smoke alarms. They're inexpensive and easy to install, and no home should be without an adequate number of them.

You should have one outside the door of each room where people sleep, and a minimum of one detector centrally located on each floor of the house. Once installed, be sure the batteries are changed once a year -- pick a specific day of the year, and mark it on the calendar!