Spring is in full swing and summer is fast approaching. Soon the kids will be out of school and the laid back days of summer will be here. Before you know it, your summer calendar will be filling up. Add to that the normal day to day routine that summer brings and pretty soon those lazy days of summer will have your head spinning! However, there are some things that you shouldn’t let slip through the cracks. One of those is having your chimney inspected and cleaned.
Inspection is Important!
So why is it so important to have your chimney cleaned every year? Over the course of a winter’s use, your chimney can get really dirty. When you burn wood in your fireplace, the fire releases different things up into your chimney in the form of smoke: water vapor, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and more. If you’re thinking you don’t want these things in your home, don’t worry, that’s what a chimney is for. It funnels these fine particulate matters out of your home and into the atmosphere. However, as the smoke gets close to the top of your chimney, it cools and some actually condenses onto the interior of your chimney. When this happens, it forms into creosote. This is a highly flammable substance!
A small amount of this isn’t such a big deal. Having said that, over time, it can build into a thick layer. If this is left to continue to build up, it can cause a couple of big problems! First off, since it’s such a flammable substance, it can catch sparks from your fire and cause a chimney fire. This is an extremely dangerous situation for your family and for your home. Second, if the flow of air through the chimney is too restricted, you could have a build-up of carbon monoxide in your home. This, too, is dangerous for your family and any pets you could have in your home.
Combating Creosote
The way to combat creosote build-up is to have your chimney inspected annually. According to the Chimney Safety Institute of America, the National Fire Protection Association Standard 211 recommends that you should have your fireplace inspected and cleaned at annually. This makes sure that it is cleared and that any repairs that are necessary can be recommended. Not only will they clear out creosote and notice any repairs, they also clear out any obstructions that may have developed since your last cleaning.
Call Now and Schedule for Later
So, spring is usually a busy time, getting ready to start your busy summer. One thing that you can do to alleviate some of that pre-summer stress is to forward schedule your annual cleaning. Give Old Dominion Chimneys a call today and schedule your inspection and cleaning for later in the fall. That’ll be one thing you can cross off your to-do list. Plus, your chimney will be fresh and clean in the fall, right in time for a winter season of heavy use!
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