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Check Out The Chimney Maintenance Tips Read Further

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Chimney Maintenance Tips and Why they are Important – If you hope to snuggle down on a plush carpet and enjoy the romantic dance of flames and music of crackling embers in safety, you will want to keep your chimney and fireplace in optimal conditions throughout the year.

This aspect of homeownership should not be neglected as a good portion of home fires caused by heating options are the fault of poorly maintained fireplaces and chimneys. Following the guidelines for proper chimney maintenance as mentioned in this article will keep you safe and reduce the costs of regular chimney maintenance.

Why is it Important to keep up with chimney maintenance?

Chimneys operate best when kept in good conditions and are less likely to cause other problems. The regular use of a chimney places specific causes the buildup of some specific substances that can cause the masonry and building structures to become structurally unsound if not addressed. Some of this is in an acidic substance in the emitted by burning fuels.

Another byproduct of burning fuel in your fireplace is creosote. This product of combustion is carried upward into the chimney and accumulate in large quantities. This begins in a feathery gray deposit but soon becomes darker and more granular, a stage that makes removal especially difficult.

Creosote deposits are combustible and after sufficient quantities have accumulated that can be ignited and potentially cause fire damage to the building and even personal injury.

Another potential threat from chimneys comes from those that have not been used in a while. Without a rain cap, leaves from nearby trees can be carried on the wind and deposited somewhere in the chimney.

Animals may also take shelter in the comfortable warmth of the chimney and it is important to inspect the structure after the summer. Raccoons, birds, squirrels and more may have set up a nest and family and will have to be removed properly before the fireplace can be used.

Chimneys that are used infrequently make potential habitats for birds, squirrels, opossums, raccoons and other animal friends looking to escape the elements. These critters can carry in combustible nesting materials like twigs, leaves, bits of cloth and cardboard.

Making sure your rain cap is properly installed is the first of several essential chimney maintenance tips.

6 More Essential Chimney Maintenance Tips

You will need to have a professional in at least once a year to inspect your chimney and ensure that everything is prepared for optimal use. But, the services needed for your chimney and their costs can be diminished through adherence to the following chimney maintenance tips.

1. Clean Ashes –– don’t allow ashes to accumulate in the fireplace. Before setting up the next fire, take a moment to sweep up the ashes of the last fire. This will keep ashes from being released upwards on waves of rising heat.
2. Use Seasoned Firewood –– if you gather your firewood the year in advance, you will have a well-seasoned fuel to burn. This results in cleaner burning and less creosote buildup.
3. Inspect before use –– whenever you are about to start a fire, take a moment to make sure everything is in order. Make sure the damper is open, the ashes have been properly removed and no foreign materials are in the fireplace. Take a look over the immediate vicinity as well and move all burnable objects further back.
4. Use proper fuel –– the only thing burning in your fireplace should be CSIA-accepted manufactured logs, Never use cardboard boxes, old furniture or compressed wood as these may contain additives, preservatives or unnatural chemicals that can damage the fireplace and chimney. Wet wood and poor-quality fuels of other types can also diminish functionality as they burn ineffectively and release creosote in greater quantities.
5. Set up the Pyre properly –– if you arrange the logs you are burning just right you can maximize the heat released and reduce the smoke. This is done by burning from the top down. Lay out larger logs on the bottom and medium logs across these. At the top of your pyramid, place a ring of tinder and a bit of newspaper in the middle. The idea is that fire will burn down from the top through the medium logs and finally igniting the larger ones at the bottom. Sit back and marvel at your fire skills.