Childproofing a Fireplace

Start at Your Child's Eye Level

The best way to childproof a fireplace is to sit on the floor in front of it. From there you see what a crawling baby or a toddler sees: a hard hearth edge at forehead height, a shiny glass door that looks like a window, a set of fireplace tools that are easy to grab, and a gas key or wall switch that is fun to turn. Most burns and bumps around a fireplace happen at that level, and most of them are preventable with simple changes.

This guide splits the work into what you can do this weekend and what needs a technician. The second list is short, but it is where the serious risks are.

What You Can Do This Weekend

These steps cost little and make a big difference:

• - Fence the whole hearth. A hearth gate that wraps around the fireplace and fixes to the wall is more reliable than any screen alone, because it keeps the child out of reach of hot glass, the screen and the hearth edge all at once.
• Pad the hearth edges. A raised stone or brick hearth has hard corners at exactly the wrong height. Foam bumpers made for hearths soften them.
• Move the tools. Pokers and shovels are heavy and sharp. Store them in a closet or on a high hook, not in a stand beside the hearth.
• Hide matches and lighters. Keep them up high in a closed cabinet.
• Pull back what can burn. Rugs, toys, blankets, pet beds and holiday stockings belong at least three feet from the opening.
• Lock the remote. If your gas fireplace has a remote, use its child lock, take the batteries out, or keep it on a high shelf.
• Test the alarms. Check that there is a working carbon monoxide alarm on the same floor as the fireplace and a smoke alarm near the bedrooms. California has required carbon monoxide alarms in homes with a fireplace or gas appliance since 2011.
• Set a house rule. Older children can learn that the hearth is a no-play zone whenever there has been a fire that day.

What Needs a Technician

Some risks are inside the fireplace, where a gate and a bumper cannot help.

Hot glass with no barrier screen. The glass on many gas fireplaces gets hot enough to burn skin in a moment and stays hot for a while after the flame goes off. Newer units come with a fitted mesh screen in front of the glass. Many older ones never had one. A technician can tell you whether a screen made for your model exists and fit it properly.

A gas key in the floor. Older gas log sets often have a key valve in the floor or wall near the hearth. A toddler can turn it. Options include a locking cover, moving the control, or switching to a wall switch placed higher up.

A damper that does not stay open. If a child can bump the damper handle shut during a fire, smoke and carbon monoxide come into the room. A technician can repair the damper or fit a clamp on a gas log set so it cannot close fully.

Smoke in the room. If your fireplace ever puffs smoke into the room, that is a draft problem, and it needs a diagnosis before your family breathes it.

Embers escaping. A wood fireplace with a torn screen, a gap under the screen or glass doors that do not latch lets embers roll onto the floor. Repairs or new doors fix this.

What Decides the Cost

Most of the weekend list costs only what you spend on a gate and bumpers. The technician list depends on your fireplace. A safety screen depends on whether one is made for your unit. Damper and door work depends on the fireplace size and condition. Moving a gas control depends on where the gas line runs. That is why we quote these items in writing after we have seen the fireplace, not by phone.

A good starting point is a fireplace inspection, which covers the opening, glass, screen, damper, gas valve and alarms with a checklist built for homes with children. If the chimney has not been looked at in a year, a Level 1 chimney inspection is $55 and can happen on the same visit. To get a quote before the visit, send photos of the fireplace front, the glass with the screen (if any), and the gas key or switch, using the quote form on this page. We will tell you what we can see and what needs a closer look.

Wood or Gas: Which Is Easier to Childproof?

Gas is usually easier. There are no embers, no ash, no tools and no wood pile, and the fire turns off at a switch. The trade-off is the hot glass and the controls, which is why the screen and the control location matter so much.

Wood fireplaces are harder, because there is more to manage: sparks, ash that can hold live coals for days, tools, and a screen that a child can pull over. A hearth gate is close to essential with a wood fireplace and a toddler in the house.

Some families decide to switch. A gas insert in an existing fireplace runs $2,800 to $5,650 installed and closes the opening behind sealed glass with a barrier screen. It is a bigger step, and not one you need to take to make a fireplace safe, but it is worth knowing about.

A Short Daily Routine

Childproofing is not only hardware. A few habits close most of the gaps:

• - Never leave a fire, or a hot fireplace, unattended with a child in the room.
• Close the screen or doors before you light the fire, not after.
• Turn a gas fireplace off with the switch, not just the remote, when you leave the room.
• Let ashes cool for days, then carry them out in a metal can with a lid.
• Look at the glass and hearth before you let a child back into the room after a fire.

Questions Parents Ask Us

At what age can kids be near a fire? That depends on the child, but most families keep the gate up until children reliably follow the no-touch rule, which for many is around school age.

Is a fireplace gate enough on its own? A gate keeps the child back. It does not fix smoke, carbon monoxide or a loose gas key. Those still need checking.

Can we just stop using the fireplace? You can. If you do, close the damper and keep the alarms working. A fireplace that is not used still needs a cap to keep animals out, since a nest can cause trouble the day someone decides to light a fire.

Let Us Look at It With You

Every family in Thousand Oaks lives with their fireplace a little differently, and there is no single right setup. If you would like a second pair of eyes before the baby starts crawling, or after the toddler has discovered the hearth, call us with the button at the top of this page and book a fireplace inspection at a time that suits your household.