Why You Should Leave Chimney Care to Professionals
A chimney can add a lot of charm and value to a home, but you need to take care of your chimney to keep it clean and prevent fires. Homeowners are often tempted to clean and maintain their chimneys to save money. You might have even considered hiring a cheap chimney cleaning “technician.” But as tempting as saving money can be, it’s always best to invest a little cash in quality work. Here are some of the most important reasons why you should always leave chimney care to certified professionals.
Benefits of a Clean Chimney
According to The National Fire Protection Association Standard 211, “Chimneys, fireplaces, and vents shall be inspected at least once a year for soundness, freedom from deposits, and correct clearances. A dirty chimney can lead to fire hazards, reduce efficiency, and more. That is why a chimney cleaning performed by a certified professional matter. Here are some of the most significant benefits to having your chimney cleaned regularly:
- Prevent chimney fires
- Prevent smoke problems that affect indoor air quality
- Extend chimney life
- Reduce odor
- Improve heating efficiency
- Make inspections easier
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Consequences of not hiring Certified Professionals
Safety
Above all else, keeping your chimney clean is a matter of safety. If your chimney is dirty, burning a fire in your fireplace will expose you and your family to more carbon monoxide. In addition, in extreme cases where a chimney hasn’t been cleaned in several years, creosote can build up to the point that it creates a fire hazard. The only way to prevent this is to have your chimney inspected and cleaned at least once a year by certified professionals.
As a homeowner, you may have considered using creosote logs to clean your chimney. Not only are these logs expensive, but they also do a poor job of cleaning your chimney. Even if these logs dislodge built-up creosote, that creosote may end up trapped in parts of the flue where it can cause blockages and be ignited by sparks and embers.
Lack of Experience
Even if you have all the tools and knowledge to clean your chimney, there’s no replacement for the on-the-job experience that a professional chimney cleaner offers. Cleaning a chimney is tricky; different chimneys feature different designs, and you have to make the right decisions regarding the brush material. A professional has the experience to adapt and make sure your chimney is as clean as possible.
Professional chimney services companies like ours, are also helpful in knowing when to invest in chimney relining or repairs. The average homeowner can’t tell what’s going on by looking at a chimney liner, but a professional can spot all the problems that let you know it’s time for a new chimney.
Not the having the right Tools
Like any cleaning job, there are specific tools you need to clean a chimney properly. Not only do you need access to those tools, but you also need to understand how to use them effectively. For most people, investing in chimney cleaning tools and learning how to use them properly simply isn’t an option. While it might cost a bit to hire a certified professional chimney cleaner, you’ll save time and money and get a better cleaning in the end.
Because having the proper tools is essential, make sure you hire a certified chimney cleaning professional. When you own a home, your only job when it comes to your chimney is learning to use it properly and making sure you call someone to inspect and clean your chimney at least once a year.
Losing Your Roof Warranty
Manufacturers are concrete about warranties, especially when it comes to homeowners handling repairs and maintenance instead of hiring a professional. You don’t want to void your roof warranty, but that’s what can happen if you clean your chimney. Roofing companies will typically offer some sort of warranty on their work, but that warranty is almost always voided if you do any kind of work atop your roof.
If you want to keep your home in good shape and make sure everything is under warranty, hiring professionals is the best route to go. When you consider the cost of having your chimney cleaned versus the cost of paying out of pocket for roof repairs, there’s no reason you should be on your roof cleaning your chimney.
Costly Repairs
Cleaning a chimney may seem simple on the surface, but it’s a complicated process where a lot can go wrong. For example, you could damage your roof or siding by trying to get on top of your house to clean your chimney. Once you’re up there, you could damage the chimney liner if you use the wrong type of brush. Plus, you have to know how to navigate your chimney to make sure you’re not trapping creosote in any grooves.
The fact of the matter is, there are tons of home repairs that cost a lot more than having your chimney professionally cleaned. So as lovely as it may sound to save a few hundred bucks by cleaning your chimney, you could end up spending thousands on repairs due to the damage you cause.
Hire a Certified Chimney Care Professional Today
Keeping your chimney clean is a matter of protecting yourself, your family, and your home. Not only do regular chimney cleanings help reduce the risk of fires, but they also increase heating efficiency. Considering how vital fire safety is, you don’t want to take any chances. As a homeowner, you should have your chimney inspected and professionally cleaned at least once every year or two. Â
I appreciate you talking about how a chimney can be quite complicated to try and repair. I feel like this is something we shouldn’t try to maintain all on our own considering how large the one we have here is. I’ll go and ask a chimney expert who’s certified to help us since they’ll have the proper training.