Regular chimney cleaning and inspection are extremely important for the health of your chimney. Routine maintenance is required for our vehicles and even for us as we visit our doctor and dentist for annual examinations. A dirty chimney poses a variety of health issues and dangers to your family and home.
Four Reasons to Clean and Inspect Your Chimney
- Annual Chimney Maintenance: The Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) and National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA) recommend that every chimney be cleaned and inspected at least once per year regardless of whether it is even used. You don’t always need to have an unused chimney cleaned, but an inspection every year will give you the peace of mind in knowing that it is still structurally secure.
- Noticeable Creosote Buildup: Creosote is a sticky, nasty, tar-like substance that sticks to the insides of your flue. It is also flammable and can catch fire relatively easy if the flame gets high or if a spark flies too high. A chimney fire can cause a home fire that destroys your home and devastates your family.
- Excessive Smoke in the Fireplace or in Your Home: The fireplace and chimney are designed to work together to allow smoke to escape through the chimney without entering your home at all. It’s always an issue if smoke does enter your home because that means that dangerous gases like carbon monoxide are probably also entering your home.
- Takes too Long to Start a Fire: Fire needs three elements in order to burn: heat, fuel, and oxygen. The chimney is designed to draw air from the fireplace which pulls fresh oxygen from your home and feeds it to the fire. Blockages in the chimney or creosote buildup will prevent the chimney from drawing air the way it should. This makes it so that the fire doesn’t start as easily and causes the fire to burn much less efficiently.
These are just four reasons to have the chimney and fireplace cleaned and inspected every year. You may even need to clean and inspect the chimney two or three times a year if you use it on a regular basis. Creosote should always be cleaned before it surpasses 1/4 inch thick.
Call us at 610-626-2439 for an appointment for a consultation. Our CSIA certified chimney sweeps will take care of all of your chimney needs and have the chimney and fireplace ready for use whenever you need it.