Why It’s Important To Clean Your Chimney Annually

Millions of homeowners across the Pacific Northwest depend on their heat from fireplaces and fossil fuel running appliances to keep themselves warm during winter. Every year thousands of households have to bear property damages worth billions of dollars and injuries because of neglected chimneys. According to a study, there are more than 65,000 house fires causing about $1.3 billion in property damage and more than 2500 injuries. As per the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association), chimney fires were the root cause of about 30 percent of house fires. This is why it is so important to schedule your chimney cleaning yearly.  For those that have Ronk Home Maintenance, this service is included with our pre-scheduled home maintenance package.

Let’s take a look at some major benefits of chimney cleaning:

1. Prevent carbon monoxide poisoning
   Carbon monoxide is an invisible and odorless gas, yet it can be deadly at high levels. When there is a buildup of smoke byproducts, twigs, animal nests, and even the animals themselves in your chimney, it compromises the chimney’s airflow. Without effective airflow, carbon monoxide can be pushed back into your home rather than exiting through the chimney.
2. Increase heating efficiency
   A clean chimney will also help the wood in your fireplace burn more thoroughly and efficiently. If you haven’t had a gas fireplace service come to your home in a while, the chimney is likely clogged and an insufficient amount of oxygen is reaching the burning wood. This decreases the heat of the burn and increases your heating bills.
3. Make it easier to inspect
   When you’ve already had professionals clean your chimney, it will be much easier for a chimney sweep to do their necessary inspections. The chimney service will clean out the large soot and creosote buildups that can interfere with an inspection. These buildups can obscure the smoke shelf and damper, making it difficult to spot problems in their early stages.
4. Avoid chimney fires
   A wood fire creates creosote, a substance that is sticky, concentrated, and highly flammable. Just a small amount of creosote can start a chimney fire. Each little fire results in progressive damage to the inside of your chimney, which can mean costly chimney repair. Of course, a large chimney fire can mean disaster for your entire home. Even if you’re switching from burning wood to using gas logs, be sure to schedule a chimney cleaning to remove the dangerous creosote.
5. Keep smoke going in the right direction
   Just as carbon monoxide can back up in a dirty chimney and enter your home, so can smoke. While you will be able to see and smell the smoke, it doesn’t make it any less dangerous for your home or family. Inhaling smoke is neither pleasant nor safe, especially for children. The incoming smoke and ash can also do damage to your furnishings, rugs, and clothing.

Prolong the Life of Your Chimney

With Ronk Home Maintenance pre-scheduled service, our home service technician will use a chimney sweep to scrub the flue liner and the interior walls removing creosote and other stains from the masonry. Other vital components like the damper and smoke shelf are inspected and cleaned to help prevent their premature replacement due to rust. When the damper is not well-maintained rust and corrosion can prevent it from forming an airtight seal when it is closed.  An airtight seal is necessary to avoid backdrafts and energy loss when the fireplace is not in use.

These are some of the many reasons for cleaning your chimney at least once a year and why they are essential. Not only will it save money by increasing energy efficiency and prolong the life of your chimney, but it will also keep you and your family safe.

You’re Trusted Partner

At Ronk Home Maintenance, we understand that proper maintenance is critical to keeping a home’s value intact. That’s why we offer a collection of essential pre-scheduled maintenance throughout the year to keep your home in great shape.

When you join our program, just sit back and relax as we simplify the process for all your home’s service. Your dedicated home manager will take the guesswork out of finding and scheduling help for all repairs in your home. Let Ronk Home Maintenance take care of your home…… so your home can continue to take care of you.