If you have an eye for design, than a fireplace mantel can provide you with a wonderful creative outlet. Hearth mantels, when decorated the right way, should be the focal point of the room, tying it all together. Each artist has their own style, but there are still some general tips and guidelines that can help even the most amateur decorator along.

If you’ve ever eaten delicious barbecue ribs, where the meat just falls off the bone, you have eaten food that was cooked in a smoker. Smokers cook low and slow, thoroughly cooking the food, without drying it out. Depending on what you are cooking, the cook time could vary from 2 hours to even 24 hours. Cooking with a smoker is truly a labor of love. Smokers aren’t just for meat. You can cook fish, veggies and even fruit and cheese in a smoker. They are very versatile.

The time for Spring cleaning is quickly approaching. While we all may have visions of a perfectly spotless home, cleaned from top to bottom, and fresh for the new coming season, visions like these rarely become a reality. Most of the time if it’s out of sight, it’s out of mind, and we neglect some vital areas that are important to keep clean for our health and safety.

We get this question a lot, and the answer really is simple. You should buy the kind of grill that fits your lifestyle. Whether it be gas, charcoal or electric, the grill you choose needs to do what you want it to do, or you won’t be happy. To truly answer this question you need to consider a few things. First, your budget, then the amount of time you are willing to put into meals, your available space, and the kind of flavor you want to get out of your food.

If you have a fireplace, it’s a good bet that you spend a good part of your day dreaming about the moment you can kick your feet up, with a good book or a glass of wine and relax next to that fire. But, if you also find yourself to be the parent of a toddler or a small child, then lets face it, the romance novels and glasses of wine are likely few and far between these days. You’re more likely spending your time by the fire cuddled under a blanket with that special little one reading about Thomas the Tank Engine’s latest adventures. You can’t spend every moment under a blanket, and you certainly can’t keep an eye on your child 100% of the time. That’s where we come in to give you a few tips on how to childproof your fireplace and prevent any accidents from occurring.

The most dangerous element to a chimney is moisture. So, naturally you are going to want to be vigilant against any rainwater entering your chimney. The best line of defense against this is a chimney cap. Chimney caps are also referred to as spark arrestors because they also function as a guard against sparks flying out and igniting a roof or nearby trees. Chimney caps also prevent birds squirrels or any other animals from entering your house through your chimney.

Gas fireplaces and fire pits are wonderful additions to both your home and your backyard. They fill your home with warmth, not only by providing heat but a warm and cozy atmosphere as well. If you already own a gas fireplace, or gas fire pit then you are well aware, there are a few challenges involved in bringing them up to their full aesthetic potential. Unlike plain wood burning fireplaces and fire pits, gas units have some external plumbing and controls. In order to maintain a natural look, there are plenty of accessories you can choose from to achieve your goal.

Thе bеѕt dаmреr аdjuѕtmеnt for a wооd burning ѕtоvе iѕ one that delivers thе bеѕt bаlаnсе between combustion efficiency (percentage оf еnеrgу in the wood thаt gеtѕ converted tо heat) and thеrmаl efficiency (percentage of hеаt that ѕtауѕ in the hоuѕе аnd is not wasted up the сhimnеу).

A сhimnеу firе iѕ a frightеning оссurrеnсе and саn bе роtеntiаllу dаngеrоuѕ to уоur рrореrtу and most importantly, уоur fаmilу. Knowing whаt steps to take in thе еvеnt оf a сhimnеу fire iѕ imроrtаnt but surprisingly, fеw оf us аrе еvеr рrераrеd for thе worst. Anyone uѕing аn ореn ѕоurсе оf heat in thеir home, such as a fireplace ѕhоuld absolutely lеаrn hоw tо еxtinguiѕh a сhimnеу firе.