The long winter season is finally over, and spring has sprung into action! This means it’s time for spring cleaning, and when you are making your cleaning list for your house, don’t forget your fireplace and chimney. Spring is the best time to schedule your annual chimney sweeping and inspection because it’s easy to get an appointment, and your fireplace and chimney are at their dirtiest after using it all winter to warm your house. When you make your spring checklist for your chimney, you really only have one step to make: contact Total Chimney Care today for your annual chimney sweeping and inspection, and we will take care of the other steps on your spring checklist for your chimney.
What We’ll Do
- According to the Chimney Safety Institute of America, you must have your chimney swept and inspected annually in order to keep it safe and up-to-date on all repairs. When we arrive to your home to perform a chimney sweep and inspection, we will inspect your chimney with a video camera attached to a long rod. This will allow us to closely examine the interior of your chimney, letting us see if there is any hidden damage or other problems.
- The next step is placing drop cloths down on the floor and furniture around your fireplace to protect them from soot and dust, and then our Total Chimney Care technician will vacuum your chimney with a clean HEPA vacuum filter to keep all the debris and dirt out of your house.
- After vacuuming your chimney, our next step is sweeping your chimney to remove creosote buildup. We will also clear any blockages from your liner, firebox, smoke chamber, and damper.
- The final step in our chimney sweep is to evaluate our findings in the video footage to see if there is any damage that needs repairing. This kind of damage includes loose bricks (indicating water leaking, which can lead to structural damage), creosote build-up (which can lead to chimney fires), and broken tiles (another sign of possible structural damage).
- Other signs of needed repair that you can add to your spring cleaning checklist are a strong odor coming from your fireplace (indicating damper problems or air ventilation issues), a stained-black or discolored fireplace opening (meaning your venting needs to be replaced), and loose bricks or cracks in the mortar on the outside of your chimney (a sure sign of water infiltration causing structural damage).
- If you do need repairs, Total Chimney Care has worked with every sort of fireplace and chimney problem. From cracked masonry to blocked chimney caps, we have handled it all. We will be happy to evaluate your problems and give you an estimate on any repairs needed.
Make your spring checklist for your chimney easy this season by scheduling an appointment with Total Chimney Care for your annual chimney sweep and inspection. Ask us about our “sweep you off your feet” guarantee when you contact us. We look forward to getting your chimney cleaned up for the spring season.