Routine chimney maintenance can be the difference between a safe fireplace and a dangerous one.
While there may be a few more cold nights ahead of us this spring, for the most part the season of roaring fires in the fireplace is done. Does this mean that once you put out that last fire of the winter, you can completely forget about your fireplace until next fall? Absolutely not! Fireplaces are valuable additions to your home, but when they aren’t properly maintained that can be dangerous. Your routine chimney maintenance activities are the difference between the fireplace being safe or not. So let’s dive into why part of your spring cleaning to-do list needs to include calling the chimney sweep and completing your annual cleaning and inspection.
Debris From A Season Of Use
You’ve just spent several months using your chimney, even if it wasn’t daily, which means it is dirty. Ideally, you’ve only been burning properly seasoned firewood, and thus you’ve limited the creosote build-up inside the chimney. Even so, the smoke has carried soot and ash, and other debris up the chimney and spring is a great time of year to clean that out.
Increased Animal Activity
Spring is also the season of increased animal activity. All those critters are looking for places to make nests and lay eggs or have their babies. You don’t want your chimney to be that place – it is very inviting, however, especially if it’s damaged in some way (like a large crack or a missing chimney cap). Getting your yearly chimney sweep and inspection done now means you can address those issues early before they become an open invitation to an animal family.
Steps to Cleaning A Chimney
When cleaning your chimney, it is best to call a professional. Since the work must be done on the ground and the roof, you need to make sure you’re physically and mentally up to it before you start. Most people cannot do a chimney cleaning in their own. While it starts out easy by cleaning the fireplace and the firebox, cleaning the walls of the chimney requires specialized tools (these days, usually a special vacuum) and skill to thoroughly clean every square inch. Trying to save money and DIY it could just get you hurt at worst and, at best leave you with a half-cleaned chimney.
Don’t Forget Your Inspection
Finally, a professional chimney sweep should also thoroughly inspect for problems and damage. This yearly inspection is the best way to catch problems while they’re still small and manageable so that you can fix them in the off season and make sure your chimney is safe and ready in the fall.
Schedule Your Chimney Cleaning from Champion Chimneys, Inc.
When you need a trusted company for your chimney inspection and chimney cleaning, you can trust our team. Champion Chimneys, Inc. is a fully licensed, bonded, and insured chimney service company that has served customers in Baltimore County, Howard County, and Anne Arundel County, Maryland, since 2001. Our team is trained and certified by Certified Chimney Professionals, Inc. (CCP, Inc.). We specialize in all aspects of your chimney system. Whether you need chimney and flue cleaning service or a full chimney rebuild or inspection, contact us at 443-Chimney today and let us fix all your chimney problems. Also, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.