If you have a house with a fireplace, you have a chimney and this chimney needs to be serviced just like any other item in your home. A chimney that has not been serviced may become blocked with debris and carbon monoxide can build up inside your home. The bricks on the chimney can begin to break and fall apart in chimneys that have not been cleaned or inspected. Once this happens, there is a chance that the chimney could collapse with no warning at all. While these are the bad things that can happen with your chimney, there are ways that you can prevent all of this from happening.
Here are 5 steps that you can take to prevent expensive chimney repairs:
Use Locally Sourced and Seasoned Firewood
We know that you love having fires in your fireplace, because it keeps your home nice and toasty. However, it is important that you use the correct firewood when you build a fire. We recommend that you only burn hardwood that has been seasoned. The longer the wood has been seasoned, the drier it will be. Wood that still has moisture in it can create more soot and ash and that will stick to the sides of your chimney. If the soot continues to build up inside your chimney, you will have an increased chance of a fire starting inside the chimney.
Remove the Ashes Regularly
We recommend that you remove the ashes from your fireplace regularly. This should be done once the ashes have had a chance to cool.
Annual Cleaning and Inspection
You should have your chimney cleaned and inspected once a year. A professional will be able to clean all of the creosote out of your chimney and look for any damage. Many times, they can spot a small problem that is easy to fix and that will save you time and money in the future.
Frequent Self-Analysis
You should be checking out your chimney every once in a while, as well. If you happen to notice that a brick is falling off or that some bricks are crumbling, have it repaired as quickly as possible. By repairing the chimney right away, you can prevent major problems from occurring.
Avoid DIY Chimney Repair and Cleaning
We know that everyone wants to save money and sometimes the easiest way to do that is to tackle a job on your own. However, that is not the right way to go when it comes to chimneys. A professional will know how to clean the chimney or how to fix a crumbling brick, while you may end up breaking more bricks or leaving creosote behind inside the chimney.
Preventative Maintenance
Preventative maintenance is easy when it comes to chimneys and these easy steps can save you hundreds or thousands of dollars on repair bills. If you think that there is anything wrong with your chimney, call us immediately instead of waiting for it to get worse.
Give us a call at 610-626-2439 if Lou Curley’s Chimney Service can assist you with your chimney needs this year. Make sure to schedule your post-winter chimney inspection and cleaning by spring so we can get you on the schedule. Don’t wait until the end of summer, because that’s when our rush starts. Plan early and get it over with early.