Ensuring Safety Around Glass-Front Gas Fireplaces
Understanding the risks and preventive measures to protect your loved ones.
The Hidden Danger
Gas fireplaces with glass fronts provide warmth and aesthetic appeal but pose significant burn risks. The glass can reach extremely high temperatures, remaining hot long after the fireplace is turned off. This presents a particular danger to children and the elderly, who may unknowingly touch the glass and sustain serious burns.
Safety Standards and Measures
Since January 1, 2015, safety standards require that new gas fireplaces and stoves with glass fronts exceeding 172 degrees Fahrenheit come with installed protective barriers. These barriers help prevent direct contact with the hot glass, significantly reducing the risk of burns. However, older models may lack these safety features, and awareness among consumers is still lacking.
Protective Steps You Can Take
To safeguard your household, especially if you have young children or elderly family members, consider the following precautions:
- Install a protective screen or barrier if your fireplace does not already have one.
- Educate all members of your household about the risks associated with touching the glass front.
- Keep a vigilant eye on children and pets when the fireplace is in use or has recently been turned off.
- Consider additional safety measures, such as gating off the fireplace area.
Transcript
0:00 So um, um, if you’ve got gas in our place, um, I’m not personally a big fan of them, um, I’ve got a gas water heater and that gas range in it.
0:11 I’ve gased back up people, um, but I don’t, I don’t have any, uh, uh, um, gas for our places. But that’s people who, one thing that’s come to light recently.
0:24 That I had previously not been aware of, is that if you’ve got one of these with the glass face on them, um, I mean, this is gonna sound kind of obvious, um, but the glass gets extremely hot, right?
0:37 And so, I’m looking at this right here just with mom, climb, um, 25 degrees. Um, and so I think what they found is that kids will kind of walk up to it.
0:48 Put their hands on it because look, I can get really close to it and can’t really tell. So, really easily walk up to it, put your hands on it.
0:55 Put your hands on it and the hands, you know, burn and then they pull the way in and they fall forward and then you can imagine, uh, it’s pretty, pretty gruesome.
1:03 And so, they start putting screens on them. Um, but if you’ve got one that doesn’t have a screen on like this, there’s a couple options up there, I believe.
1:12 We’ll see actually buy a screen that fits, but take some precautions just to make sure that we’re not, you know, I mean, look, little kids are going to look at something kind of, you know, flashy like this and they’re going to want to touch it.
1:26 So, we’re at, um, 270 to 180 degrees. It’s been on about five minutes. Um, I’ve heard it gets quite a bit hotter.
1:36 So, um, just a bit of safety tip. You got one of these because you have a screen on there to, uh, to offer some protection.
1:46 Alright, stay safe.