The Importance of Chimney Cleaning and Maintenance

As the days and nights get colder, you’ll likely be tempted to start a fire in your fireplace. Just make sure that all aspects of your fireplace are in tip-top shape and clean to ensure your safety. You should never build a fire in a dirty fireplace—this applies to both gas fireplaces and wood-burning fireplaces, whether in your home or business. With this in mind, let’s take a look at some of the reasons why you should schedule services for professional inspection and chimney cleaning in Wausau, WI:

• Locate obstructions: Like rain gutters and downspouts, chimneys are also susceptible to clogs. Most clogs are due to stuck tree debris like leaves, sticks and animal nests. Animal nests are typically built during the spring and summer months, and depending on where you live, this can mean squirrels, bats, birds or any number of insect species. You don’t want to go to light a fire only to quickly learn the flue is blocked by a nest or a bunch of leaves. You could spark a fire, be exposed to carbon monoxide or find yourself with smoke backing up into your house.
• Reduce the risk of a fire: Hiring a professional chimney sweep to clean and inspect your chimney is a smart and safe move. Aside from obstructions inside the chimney, you also have to be wary of creosote, which is a dark, tar-like substance that sticks to the walls of chimneys. Creosote is a highly flammable compound that forms when wood burns—softwoods and unseasoned wood are the biggest culprits. Since this is the leading cause of house fires and chimney fires, call an expert to clean your chimney before winter begins.
• Improve efficiency: A fireplace is only as efficient as it is clean. So, while you might be using your fireplace to save money on heating bills, the heat produced may not actually be as good and warm as it could be. Before burning wood in your fireplace this chilly season, have the fireplace cleaned and all components inspected.
• Chimney repairs might be needed: If your chimney technician finds an issue with your fireplace, it will need to be repaired before you can safely use it. The thing to keep in mind is that some repairs can’t be done as quickly as others. Some repairs could take time, and waiting until winter starts to call a professional means time spent waiting for repairs will cut into the time you get to use your fireplace. Also, the older the fireplace and chimney, the more important it is to get the whole system inspected, cleaned and maintained every year.
• Chimney cleaning companies’ schedules fill up fast: People like to use their fireplaces in the winter, which means this is also the time of year when most homeowners realize there’s a problem. If you wait until winter starts to schedule an appointment with a chimney cleaning professional, you could be in for a long wait.

Before winter arrives, call the experts at Marcell’s Specialties Inc. and schedule an appointment for chimney cleaning in Wausau, WI!

Categorised in: Chimney Cleaning

This post was written by Writer