With the weather getting colder and winter right on the horizon, it’s safe to say that fireplace season is here. Before you enjoy your first autumn fire, however, there’s some steps you should take to make sure your chimney is 100% safe and ready for use.
Have a Professional Sweep Your Chimney
Having your chimney thoroughly cleaned by a professional is the best way to guarantee the safety of you and your home when it comes to future costly inconveniences or even more serious threats like housefires. That’s why The National Fire Protection Association recommends at least one chimney cleaning per year. After a cleaning, you won’t have to worry about the threat of a creosote buildup or any other type of obstruction from causing issues this winter.
Inspect Chimney for Issues
In addition to cleaning our customer’s chimneys, we also thoroughly inspect them for issues that could worsen as time goes on. Cracks, moisture, loose bricks and missing mortar are all issues that may seem insignificant now, but these things are directly related to the structural integrity of your home. As such, any of these issues should be detected and addressed as soon as possible.
Check All Key Parts
Once any glaring issues are detected and addressed, your chimney inspector will move on to checking various parts of your chimney to confirm they are working at peak functionality. Expect your inspector to observe the gasket, flue, ash dump and doors before they call the job done.
Fireplace Safety Advice
Once your chimney is all clean and ready for your first fire of the fall, the only thing left to do is brush up on basic fireplace safety tips. Here are some key tips you should be sure to follow this fall and winter:
- Use dense, seasoned wood (like oak) to avoid creating creosote pileups.
- Don’t burn a piece of wood than is wider that 6 inches in diameter.
- Avoid using damp wood.
- Don’t overload your chimney with wood to avoid creosote pileups.
Clean Sweep Is Here to Help!
Call Clean Sweep Maryland today at 410-558-1111 for professional chimney sweep, slate roofing and duct cleaning services designed to keep all of your listed properties clean and safe for sellers and buyers. If you have a prospective home buyer or home seller in need of a slate roof inspection or repairs, we are here to help.