The winter months are coming, and maintenance like chimney cleaning needs to be done. When you get ready to start cleaning the chimney, there is more work than just sweeping the chimney stack. You also need to clean and inspect the flue and check the exterior of the fireplace for damage. Here is the maintenance you want to do to prepare your home for a warm fire when you do your chimney cleaning this year:
Inspecting the exteriors of chimneys and fireplaces
The first thing that you are going to want to do is inspect the exteriors of chimney stacks and the fireplace hearth inside your home. Check the chimney and masonry for any cracks or damage that need to be repaired. These areas also need to be cleaned when the chimney cleaning service is doing other maintenance to get your fireplace ready for fires.
Cleaning the chimney stack to remove soot and resins
Next, you want to have a chimney service clean the soot and resins from your chimney. These are deposits that build up inside the flue pipe and cause fire hazards when you use the fireplace. Therefore, this maintenance is also some of the most important maintenance that needs to be done. Even if you use gas or other firewood alternatives for the fireplace, the chimney should still be cleaned and inspected.
Testing the flue and adjusting it during winter weather
The flue inside the fireplace also needs to be checked to make sure that it is open and can be adjusted. During the winter months, the flue can be adjusted to allow smoke to escape and reflect heat out into space inside your home. It is important that it is working properly and that it is cleaned during the maintenance. If the flue is damaged or stuck, it should be replaced before using your fireplace to ensure the chimney has a draft and that there are not smoke hazards.
Looking for problems before using your fireplace
Before using your fireplace, you are going to want to inspect it for problems. Always check to make sure the flue is open and that there is not any debris in the chimney. Also, look around the fireplace for signs of cracking and heat damage that need to be repaired. If there is any damage, have it repaired before using the fireplace. You also want to keep the fireplace and chimney clean with a small chimney sweep broom to reduce the amount of soot and resin that builds up.
This is the maintenance that you will want to do to clean the chimney and prepare your home for a warm fire. Call a chimney cleaning service for help with this maintenance before you start a fire in the fireplace this year.
it is interesting that, as a society, we have decided to lump so many different jobs and trades under the umbrella term of "contracting." One person could use the work contractor to refer to someone who is framing a new building. Another person could use the word "contractor" to refer to someone who was painting walls. Don't even get us started on the term "construction worker." That one's pretty vast, too!
Since we realized we cannot possible say everything we want to say about construction and contractors in a few paragraphs, we decided to write a blog. And if you are reading this right now, you've found it. Please stick around and read a bit!