Page 10 - Chicago Cooperator Winter 2019

10 THE CHICAGOLAND COOPERATOR
—WINTER 2019
CHICAGOCOOPERATOR.COM
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fic, kids, possibly pets—so operating them in says that other popular features include pro-
an apartment building poses obvious safety grammable optical effects—like changing
challenges. Fireplaces by their very presence colors, for example—that users can control
in a home increase the probability of a fire or with their smartphones and other devices.
of smoke- or ventilation-related problems.
That risk has moved some co-op buildings places can provide actual warmth as well.
simply to ban owners from using their fire-
places entirely. And some insurance compa-
nies will not insure a multifamily building mental heating for rooms approximately 400
with fireplaces.
Alex Seaman, senior vice president with trol the heating elements, in addition to the
HUB Insurance located in Woodbury, New flame effect. As a result, electric fireplaces
York, explains: “The primary concern of can provide a flame with or without heat so
insurance carriers is lack of maintenance. that it can be enjoyed throughout the year.
When not properly maintained, fireplaces An electric fireplace is a heating element that
pose a serious fire hazard. Insurance com-
panies that underwrite properties with fire-
places depend on systemic inspections at ing or professional installation of any kind.
least annually and sometimes biannually.
“Inspections can be arranged indepen-
dently by unit owners,” Seaman continues, and gently forcing the warmed air back out
“but a better way is to have one contractor into the room by way of a fan. Some elec-
[inspect] all the units in the building at one tronic fireplaces also use infrared technol-
time. That way they can confirm that every-
thing has been done according to require-
ments and that no individual unit has been is provided for the desired area without the
left out.” Seaman says that when a building mess, fumes, or dangerous gas.”
board or management chooses the inspec-
tor and maintenance people, it’s crucial that find—a wood-burning fireplace—Delgardo
they verify that the chosen pro is properly has one important piece of advice for you:
licensed and carrying proper and adequate “Learn how to build a fire safely. The prob-
insurance that contains risk transfer lan-
guage.
Wood vs. Gas vs. Electric
Another interesting point is that unlike says. “Start your fire small. There is a finite
a wood-burning fireplace made of stone or amount of smoke you can put into the flue
brick, gas-powered fireplaces are like cars: before it spills out of the front. A flue is like
they come in many different models. When a reverse funnel, it can only handle so much
a gas-burning fireplace requires mainte-
nance, the maintenance company will ask into your apartment.” Fikejs also urges own-
for the make and model of the unit. Not all ers with fireplaces to make sure they keep
gas or electric units are equivalent, and not a cap on their chimneys. “You never know
all components interchangeable; they may what can get in through the chimney,” he
require specific replacement parts from the says. “You don’t want to find a raccoon in
original manufacturer.
According to Delgardo, electric fireplaces
have been growing in popularity in recent century conversation starter featuring a
years. “They are very popular with mil-
lennial buyers,” he says. “Many new rental carved lions, or a sleek new electric model you
buildings are opting for them as well.” While can switch on and off from 1,000 miles away,
clearly not the “real thing,” many electric it’s important for your own safety and that of
units do a very good job of mimicking the your neighbors to know how your fireplace
sound and look of crackling logs and flick-
ering flames. The technology is remarkably and maintenance it needs to function prop-
simple: light from an LED bulb bounces off
a rotating metallic silver refractor (a bit like
a rotisserie) cut with three-dimensional pat-
terns that create the illusion of a random
flickering flame. Some models feature an au-
dio element that makes a crackling noise, ex-
tending the illusion even further. Delgardo
In addition to looking cool, electric fire-
As described on electricfireplacesdirect.
com, “Electric fireplaces can provide supple-
square feet in size as well. Customers con-
looks similar to a traditional wood-burning
or gas fireplace but doesn’t require any vent-
Electric fireplaces work by drawing in cool
air, heating it internally using a heating coil,
ogy, which directly heats objects within a
room. In both cases, supplemental heating
If you’re lucky enough to have that rare
lem is that when they build a fire, most
people want to start with the Yule Log right
off the bat.” This is an amateur mistake, he
smoke. You don’t want smoke to flow back
your living room. A cap will prevent that.”
Whether you’ve got a turn-of-the-last-
three-foot-deep mantelpiece held up by
works and to make sure it gets all the care
erly—and safely.
n
Cooper Smith is a staff writer/reporter with
The Chicagoland Cooperator.
FIREPLACE...
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one family in particular, where someone was
disabled and used a wheelchair. There was no
way this resident could go up and down the
stairs. Another resident had two very large
dogs, and they couldn’t go up and down nu-
merous times a day either. There was no way
we could accommodate them. In the end, the
board did arrange to do the work during the
summer months when many people were
away on vacation. The resident with the dogs
had a summer home and went there for the
duration of the project. The disabled resident
ELEVATOR...
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