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Your chimney can cause serious problems if it is not cared for properly. One common problem is an obstruction causing smoke and dangerous gasses to come back into your home instead of going outside. You can clean your chimney yourself, but it is usually best to hire a professional chimney sweep to do it for you.
A chimney sweep will ensure your chimney is completely clean as well as functional. Since unclean chimneys can present a significant threat to your safety, you will need to get it cleaned at least once a year. If you use it quite frequently, then having it cleaned twice per year may not be such a bad idea. Once a chimney sweep is at your home, he will first inspect various parts of the chimney for the presence of problems. The liner could be cracked, the flue could be blocked, or creosote and other substances could have accumulated a lot inside the chimney. All of these problems need to be addressed as soon as possible. The average homeowner will not know what to look for, so it would be pretty easy to miss a potentially serious problem. If there are any issues with your chimney the chimney sweep will point them out to you so you can have them resolved. After the chimney has been inspected initially the chimney sweep will proceed to clean it. Special brushes will need to be used to ensure all debris inside the chimney is removed. Since the job is very messy the chimney sweep will need to protect your carpet and furniture by covering the fireplace opening with a tarp and tape. After the chimney has been cleaned, the chimney sweep may inspect it again since there may have been problems which were hidden by some of the debris. It is important to note; anyone can call themselves a chimney sweep. Unlike being a doctor, lawyer, or some other type of professional, there are no licensing laws required for the profession. Therefore, you should look for a chimney sweep that has been certified by one or more professional organisations. The National Chimney Sweeps Guild, Chimney Safety Institute of America, and the Certified Chimney Professionals are good certifications to look for. You should also ask your potential chimney sweep to provide you with a list of references for you to check out. If they have a portfolio of their past work, that would also be helpful. Having a clean chimney is vital, so make sure you get someone to do the job properly.
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Chimney caps, like their name suggest are metal covers fitted over the opening of a chimney. There are a few reasons you should consider having one installed on your home’s chimney. Keep reading to learn about the importance of chimney caps.
Every so often pieces of burning embers will make their way out of your chimney and into the surrounding environment. They can easily land on the roof and start a fire. They could also land in a pile of debris in your yard and cause a fire as well. A chimney cap would help keep embers inside the chimney. If you live in an area which experiences frequent rainfall having a chimney cap installed is a really good idea. Generally speaking, moisture and masonry do not get along very well. An uncapped chimney allows moisture to get inside the chimney and degrade the masonry over time. During the summer months when you are not using the chimney you may notice a musty smell throughout your home because of this moisture. This problem can be avoided by using a chimney cap. In addition to protecting the interior of the chimney, the cap will also help protect the crown from ice and rain. If it is not protected it will wear down much more quickly. One of the main concerns people with chimneys have is keeping animals out. Raccoons and birds can easily use the opening to get inside your home. Birds will also create nests which can block the flue and cause smoke and gasses to end up in your living room. You can keep all types of animals out of your chimney by installing a cap. Just be aware that some of the caps use very small screens to keep animals out. It is important for you to clean these screens on a regular basis. Soot and creosote can cause them to become clogged which will reduce the draft of your chimney and lead to smoke backing up. Speaking of drafts, chimney caps help out in this area too. Capping the chimney properly will help ensure it has a proper draft. If you live in a windy area this will benefit you greatly. Make sure you obtain the right size chimney cap. If it is not the right size it will likely do more harm than good. It will interfere with the chimney's draft and efficiency so you will have to burn more fuel to make up for it Chimney inspections are designed to catch many of these problems before they become too serious. A professional chimney sweep can check things such as the condition of the liner or existence of obstructions.
For homeowners who have a fireplace or wood stove, cleaning the chimney regularly is a must. There are numerous things that can go wrong. If you fail to catch some of these problems in time, they can lead to a very destructive house fire. Sometimes, gasses will not be routed out of the chimney properly which can certainly be a significant health risk as well. Chimney inspections are designed to catch many of these problems before they become too serious. A professional chimney sweep can check things such as the condition of the liner or existence of obstructions. Soot, creosote, and other debris building up over time is a common problem chimney inspections can catch. Whenever these substances build up, they will prevent hazardous gases from escaping into the outside. In the case of creosote, the substance is quite flammable and can easily start a fire because of all the sparks that are flying around. Every chimney inspection is not the same. There are three different levels of inspection the average homeowner can get. The most common type of inspection is the Level One inspection. This type of inspection focuses on checking the flue for obstructions or other damage as well as examining different structures of the chimney that can be accessed with ease. Sometimes, people will upgrade their chimney and start using a different type of fuel. In this case, a Level Two inspection is called for. The chimney will need to be checked out thoroughly for various defects. Video or digital photography will be used to achieve this. Every part of the chimney from the top down will need to be checked out, including the areas that are not easy to access. If a professional thinks something is wrong with your chimney, then a Level Three inspection may be called for. During this type of inspection, parts of your chimney may need to be removed to ensure it is checked out thoroughly. Obviously, this will be the most expensive type of inspection. Therefore, it is usually reserved for finding problems which are particularly dangerous for the occupants of the home. It is best for you to have a chimney inspection on an annual basis. You should have it inspected even if you do not use it on a regular basis. Although byproducts of combustion would not be much of a problem because of the decreased use, animals may have caused obstructions which need to be cleared out. Anyone who regularly uses a chimney will need to hire a chimney sweep once a year. This is very important to ensure that the chimney keeps harmful gases out of your home. Once you find a great chimney sweep, you should stick with them. Here are a few of the basics for finding one.
You will undoubtedly be concerned about how much it costs to have a chimney cleaned. Although price is important, it is definitely not the only thing you should go by. As a matter of fact, you should be careful of chimney sweeps who offer prices well below what their competitors offer. As with hiring any type of professional, you should also give some thought as to how much experience the chimney sweep has. Ideally, you will choose one that has been established for a while. You can start your search for a chimney sweep using your local phone book or ads you see in the newspaper, or hear on the TV or radio. After you have located a few companies, you should check their website if they have one. The best companies have testimonials from other clients you can read. However, you will also want to search for unbiased opinions on other websites. One of the best ways to find a reliable chimney sweep is to rely on the experience of other people you know. Maybe one of your neighbours has a certain person that he or she uses on a regular basis. You should not have much of a problem relying on the experience of people you personally know and trust. Another good way to find a reliable chimney sweep is to check your local directories. Their website will list useful information such as ratings and reviews as well as any complaints that have been made in the past about the company. More importantly, you will also get contact information for companies you are thinking about using. Whatever you do, always make sure you ask your chimney sweep for proof of insurance before you hire him to clean your chimney and fireplace. If an accident occurs and the worker was uninsured, then you may be held liable for any damages. |
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