What You Need to Know About Chimney Cleaning

When it comes to the areas in your home that you know need attention, your chimney probably doesn’t top the list. In fact, given that its job is to escort smoke and soot from the home and that it’s made of stone or brick, you may think you’re in the clear to ignore and focus on more pressing items like the floors, HVAC system, or yard. However, this can be a costly mistake. Chimney cleaning is an important chore you need to carry out for a number of reasons. If you’re new to the idea or it’s been a while, here’s what you need to know.

Why Your Chimney Needs Attention

Despite its rustic exterior and simple job, your chimney actually does need some attention from time to time. That’s because your chimney can easily become clogged after all the soot it’s exposed to builds up and/or causes blockages. Another threat is called creosote. It’s a chemical that gets released when certain materials are burned. When the whole log, coal or fire-starter you’re using doesn’t burn all the way through, creosote is the byproduct that gets left behind. Over time, it builds up:

•    on the inside of your chimney
•    in the smoke chamber
•    in your firebox
•    on the damper.

The problem with soot is that when it clogs the chimney, smoke has a hard time escaping. This can become inconvenient, at best, when you try to light that next fire. Obviously, it could be quite dangerous too. However, as creosote is flammable, if it builds up too much, you could be in all kinds of danger the next time you go to enjoy your fireplace. Unfortunately, it doesn’t take much creosote to start a chimney fire (FYI, pine contains more creosote than other kinds of wood and should be avoided for this reason).

Getting Your Chimney Inspected

We’ll talk more about chimney cleaning in a moment, but it’s also important that you get yours inspected regularly. Unless you enjoy an abnormal amount of fires each year, annual inspections will do. Even if you hardly use your fireplace, a chimney inspection is a good idea as the serviceman can take a look at all your heating systems to ensure problems aren’t lurking.

Plus, your chimney can become a home to all kinds of wildlife, even if you think it’s sealed. The next time you try starting a fire or even just open your damper, this can be a serious issue. Having a professional take a look at your chimney, especially right after winter, is a good idea for this reason.
When to Schedule a Chimney Inspection

Any time you’re having issues with your chimney, an inspection is necessary. A chimney cleaning may be recommended, but sometimes the solution will be something even simpler.

If you just purchased your home, an inspection is a good idea. Even if the last homeowner claims they had one recently, it’s not worth the risk.
As we mentioned, winter weather may drive pests into your chimney. However, the elements may have damaged the structure too. So it’s a good idea to call for an inspection when the thaw comes even if you don’t have vermin problems in your neighborhood.

When Chimney Cleaning Is Necessary

Again, a lot of times an inspection will come with a chimney cleaning. This may not always be the case though and the inspection may not always be necessary although cleaning is. The CSIA (Chimney Safety Institute of America) recommends you always get a chimney cleaning done when an eighth an inch of soot is noticeable within the chimney and flue. If you look up at your flue and notice a glaze has built up, it doesn’t matter how thick it is, you need your chimney cleaned before using it again.
Getting your chimney cleaned at least once a year is recommended. Right before winter starts is usually best because that’s when the burning starts.

Keep in mind, too, that whether you’re talking about a chimney cleaning or inspection, your fireplace isn’t the only consideration. Many HVAC systems expel excess air through your chimney. So just because your chimney brushes and rods is collecting dust doesn’t mean there isn’t a world of problems sitting right above it. Even if you have no plans of enjoying a fire in the near future, getting your chimney surrounds is still a good idea.

Things You Will Absolutely Have to Know about Chimney Exhaust Fans

Nowadays, many people associate having a chimney fireplace with a certain kind of old-fashioned way of building homes and heating them. For many of the people out there, chimneys feel outdated, but the truth is that they can provide you with many benefits. From the fact that you can actually reduce the heating costs for your household to the fact that you will make your home have a certain kind of appeal and a vintage/old-school look that is very well-looked upon these days, there are numerous advantages to building a chimney fireplace in your home.


However, if you want to reap all these benefits without having to face the disadvantages, you will have to be 100% certain that your chimney is built and maintained the right way. This includes having true professionals deal with the building process and making sure that they use the very best materials on the market.


One of the things you will definitely have to take into consideration is installing chimney exhaust fans for your fireplace. Although some of the people out there may not believe that exhaust fans are actually worth it and that they are not really necessary, the truth is that installing it on your chimney fireplace can definitely make the whole experience much better.


Basically, the chimney exhaust fans will be that part of your chimney fireplace which is responsible with making sure that odors and dirt from the chimney do not reach your home. Since these 2 things are among the main reasons for which many people choose to leave chimneys behind, installing chimney exhaust fans will eliminate the most poignant disadvantages of having a chimney and it will leave you with the best there is to having it.


If you want to make sure that your fans do their job correctly, you will also have to make sure that you invest in a very high quality product (complimented by high quality installation services, of course). Very good chimney fans will eliminate the smoke problem completely and they will even work on eliminating other unpleasant smells from your home (including cigarette smoke) because they will also act as a ventilator.


Furthermore, if you are worried that the fans will ruin the appearance of your home, you should know the fact that nowadays they are manufactured so that they can suit multiple designs. Basically, they can come in almost any color you may wish and this will help you create a good-looking exterior for your house.


Even more, modern fans for chimneys are very well-built and they will require minimum or no maintenance at all. Manufacturers that deal with these fans have also managed to build them so that they are completely silent, so if you were worried about that, you can now rest assured that you will be able to enjoy absolute silence when you need it. The only sounds you will hear from your Chimney exhaust fans will be the one noticing you that refueling is needed and the ones alarming you about the potentiality of a chimney fire.

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Use Sealtight Dampers to Save on Energy Costs

Homeowners take a lot of pride in every aspect of their home, but often one of their favorite parts of their house is their fireplace. People love to gather their families in front of a roaring fire and enjoy this luxury often. What some people fail to realize, however, is that the chimney that their fireplace is connected to needs to be cared for properly. Many people may be paying way too much in heating and cooling costs because the damper that they have on their chimney is old, defective, missing, or damaged beyond repair. They may often wait until the problem is very serious to call in a chimney maintenance expert. When someone calls you to service their chimney, you should have the proper supplies ready so that you can give them a good, quality damper to get their chimney back up to par.

A chimney maintenance professional like you knows the importance of sealtight dampers. These types of dampers are made to make a very tight seal on the opening and sides of the chimney to keep out moisture in the form of rain, sleet, snow and ice. If unnecessary moisture gets into the chimney, it can cause damage to the interior that may be costly to repair.This will save the homeowner a lot of money over time on their air-conditioning and heating bills. These highly rated chimney top dampers will help all of your customers to save money on heating and cooling costs in their home.

A top chimney damper from a quality manufacturer should be installed professionally and will then help the homeowner to cut costs greatly. Keep your chimney maintenance customers happy and help them to save money by using the best dampers available.

Chimney maintenances professionals need to be able to provide customers with energy and money saving sealtight dampers and top chimney dampers so that they can help them out and keep their business. If you work as a professional in chimney maintenance, then you need to make sure you are stocked up on these useful dampers and are able to install them properly. US Fireplace dampers control the loss of air through the chimney of the home by sealing the top of the chimney tightly. When you save your customers money, they reward you with loyalty, so make sure to buy the best brands online from an established chimney supply retailer.
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