Get matched with top fire pit installation pros in Timber Lake, SD

While your municipality may have its own regulations requiring pergolas or other structures to be a certain height above a fire pit, the standard recommendation is that the pergola should be at least 10 feet above the fire pit. A taller pergola allows the heat from the flames to dissipate before reaching the structure.

You can’t gauge the lifetime of a fire door like you could, say, an engine. Fire doors should be checked at least once every six months to ensure there are no signs of degradation like leaks, holes, water damage, termite damage, or anything else that might compromise the functionality of the door’s fire resistance. Check your smoke detectors while you’re at it.

The NFPA model codes and International Residential Code (IRC) mandate that all new one- and two-family homes have fire sprinkler systems. However, all municipalities are different. The best way to determine if your municipality requires fire sprinklers is to contact your state fire marshal’s office. One reason to install a fire sprinkler system is that it’s the first line of defense in putting out a fire and alerting your family of emergencies.

Grounding is a great first step to prevent electrical shock, but you can take it further with GFCI outlets and AFCIs (arc fault circuit interrupters). In particular, AFCIs help protect against the type of electrical arcs that cause fires, like if a mouse chews on a wire or your laptop starts overheating at the wall. These are required in some areas of your home.