The weather outside is frightful, and if you want your fire inside to be delightful, it’s time to invest in a chimney inspection and seasonal cleaning.
Sweep Your Chimney
Before you light your first fire of the fall, you should have your chimney professionally cleaned. The National Fire Protection Association, the authority on fire safety and proper chimney protocols, recommends that homeowners have their chimneys swept at least once a year.
Look for Problems
During the chimney inspection, your professional chimney sweep from Clean Sweep will take the time to look for any damage or problems. Things like cracks, decay, loose bricks or missing mortar can all snowball into more significant issues in the future. Anything affecting the structural integrity of your chimney is also impacting the structural integrity of your home, so it should be repaired as quickly as possible.
Check the Gasket
Your chimney inspector will also inspect various parts of your chimney, including the gasket, the ash dump and the doors. The blower will be cleaned. The damper inside of your chimney will be tested, and the cap at the top will be checked to ensure it’s doing its job.
Refresh Your Memory on Fireplace Safety
Finally, you should refresh your memory on fireplace safety:
- Use firewood that is dense and seasoned, like oak. Avoid using softwoods that produce a great deal of creosote like pine.
- Never use pieces of firewood that are over 6 inches in diameter.
- Ensure your wood has a moisture level under 20%, or it will burn poorly and unevenly.
- Buy wood locally.
- Never overload your fireplace with too many logs, as it might put too much smoke in your chimney and lead to higher levels of creosote.
Ready to give your chimney a clean sweep? Call Clean Sweep Maryland today at 410-558-1111 for professional service with a smile this fall.