During this time of the year, you are probably not using your fireplace as often as you would have during the colder months of the year. However, this does not mean that your chimney maintenance stops during the summer. Here are tips for keeping your fireplace well maintained, even during the warmer months.

Smoke Detectors:

Install smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and keep them in proper working order.

Furniture Positioning:

Keep combustible materials like carpet, drapes and furniture positioned away from the fireplace. Use a fireplace guard to keep children and pets away from harm.

Cleaning Ash:

Clean ash from the fireplace whenever it reaches the bottom of the grates, where airflow may be cut off. Remember to wear protective dust masks and gloves when cleaning the fireplace.

Have an Inspection:

Have your wood-burning fireplace and chimney cleaned and inspected by a trained professional at least once a year, preferably at the end of the burning season.

Test Your Chimney:

Test out the function of your fireplace by lighting a few small pieces of seasoned wood lit from the top down. If smoke doesn’t exit vertically from the fireplace into the chimney but enters the room, immediately find the issue and fix it immediately.

Use Hardwood:

Burn only hardwood instead of soft wood. Hardwood can be categorized as woods such as oak, ash, and maple, which are denser and heavier. Hardwood delivers more heat than lighter soft wood like pine or cedar.

During the winter months, the fireplace is often used as a source of warmth around the house and is heavily used for three to four months out of the year. Using the fireplace can also be energy efficient, cutting down on the cost of heating. But, not properly maintaining the fireplace can lead to high levels of heat loss in your home due to the lack of efficiency of your fireplace. Here are a few ways that you can make sure that you are getting the most out of your fireplace this winter season.

1)    Keep the Damper Closed: Unless you have a fire burning in the fireplace, always keep your damper closed. Keeping the damper opened when not using the fireplace can lead to tremendous heat loss in your living area.

2)    Installing Air Exchange Systems: To blow warm air back into your home, install heated air exchange systems or install tempered glass doors.

3)    Seals Around the Flue: Check the seals around the chimney flue damper. If the seals aren’t tight around the flue, you could be at risk of losing heat through the chimney.

4)    Insulating Your Chimney: Insulating your chimney can prevent the buildup of creosote which can become a danger to your chimney due to its flammable properties. Liners can be used to maximize the efficiency of your chimney while protecting anyone from the dangerous products caused by flue gasses.

5)    Get your chimney Inspected: Hire a professional certified chimney sweep to conduct a thorough inspection of your chimney

. A certified chimney sweep can provide advice on how you can keep your chimney working efficiently and safely.

We recommend that you hire a professional chimney inspector or chimney sweep to thoroughly inspect your chimney at least twice a year, before and after the winter season

The recommended amount of times that a homeowner should have their chimney swept is twice a year. Unfortunately, chimney sweeping often times get overlooked and is never done. Homeowners would say that the reason for not sweeping their chimney is because of how messy it would be or how much work chimney sweeping would entail, but if you intend to use your fireplace often then having your chimney swept is essential for your health and safety.

The reason why you would want your chimney swept regularly is because of dirt and creosote that can build up in your chimney over time. Dirt in your chimney can cause clogging which forces smoke back into your home instead of being released from the top of your chimney. Creosote can ignite, posing a serious fire hazard.

When to schedule your chimney sweeping appointment?

Now is the best time to schedule a chimney sweeping appointment. You would want to schedule an appointment with your local chimney sweep before the cold, winter weather approaches when your chimney will be used the most. If you live in an area with severe cold weather conditions, you would want to schedule your chimney sweeping appointment earlier in the year because chimney sweeps will often be very busy and in demand.

Chimney Inspection

Chimneys should be inspected every year before you begin using your chimney or when you move into a home. Often times when you move into a home, it is difficult to know if your chimney is in proper working order or if the residence who lived in the house before you were keeping up with the chimney’s maintenance every year.