Now that winter season is coming, most homes will depend on their fireplaces, wood stoves, and other heating appliances to provide them with warmth. However, there are still those who have to spend thousands of dollars in property damages due to poor chimney maintenance.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, over 70,000 house fires occurring every year cost homeowners US$1.3 billion in damages and more than 2,500 injuries. A lot of times, these house fires happen due to chimney fires. In this post, we’ll enumerate the main reasons why it is important to have chimney maintenance:
Keeping the Family and Property Safe
For some families, gathering around the fireplace is an activity most of them enjoy during the winter months. Your chimney acts as a ventilation system that allows smoke, fumes, and toxins to exit the home. If you are using a fossil burning appliance, the chimney will have some residue buildup from soot and creosote that sticks to the concrete lining the inside of the chimney while it is working. When the build-up gets too thick, the burning embers and the heat is enough to spark a chimney fire. According to Certified Chimney, this can be effectively prevented by periodic chimney cleaning.
Improving Residential Heating Effectiveness
Over time, a fireplace’s efficiency will decrease due to the volume of creosote deposits lining the chimney. This hampers the ability of your heating system to circulate the air inside your home efficiently, meaning that you have to burn more wood in order to stay warm. When you do regular chimney maintenance, you can ensure that these deposits will be cleaned.
Reduce Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Your chimney can attract small birds, insects, and rodents, and these can clog the flue. When this happens, it will be more difficult for toxic fumes to escape, which may lead to carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. You have to remember that CO poisoning is a silent killer. You may not be aware that it is already poisoning your family. Each year, as much as 200 deaths are due to CO poisoning, according to the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA).
Prevent Expensive Chimney Repairs
Regular maintenance of your chimney will mean you don’t have to spend more money on chimney repairs. Every time you use your chimney, it will have debris, including ash, soot, wood bits that can clog your chimney system, including the flue liner, damper, smoke shelf, and masonry, with grime and other contaminants. When allowed to persist, this usual wear and tear can cause costly damage to the system. Regular maintenance can help you do checks and repairs before they evolve to become a severe problem later on.
Address Scheduling Problems
People will often have their chimney turned on during the winter season, which means it is the only time they will know if it has any issues. Unfortunately, this can cause problems when it comes to scheduling, as most chimney maintenance and service providers will usually have a full schedule with long wait times. With regular chimney maintenance, you free yourself from this burden because you are sure of the quality of your chimney.
Given these reasons, homeowners should make chimney maintenance part of their to-do list every year.
