Hellobee Boards

You should definitely get it serviced/cleaned. The people that come should be able to give you good pointers/info!

We were told never to store large amount of wood in or next to the house (fire hazard). We keep a small box of kindling right next to the fireplace, along with fire starters (which make lighting a fire a snap if you need something quickly).

Definitely get it cleaned. We learned that ours is in bad condition and would have cost $2500 to clean to get it working. So we decided to go with ventless gas logs so we can still get a fire and don't have to spend the $$ to repair the damage the previous owners did.

@PurplePeony: I agree actually, if @mrs. wagon: you are actually going to use it for heating the house. Our fireplace is AWESOME but I don't know that it's the best way to efficiently heat a floor of our home. Wood stoves are way better at that!

First before anything, make sure your chimney is clear. Sometimes to avoid door coming down into a house if not bring used, people will block the chimney with pillows! I've learned that lesson once!
We have an open fire but have a back boiler to make the most of it, so we get free radiator hearing and hot water whenever the fire is on. When it's not, we just switch on the immersion. Our bills are so low.