If your home has a fireplace, then you will need to make chimney cleaning a part of your home maintenance routine. As you use your fireplace, soot and smoke residue build up on the walls of your chimney where they form a layer of highly flammable material that poses a serious fire risk if it is not regularly removed. Our team at Swept Away Chimney knows all there is to know about proper chimney care, and in this article, we’ll go over more key information that you need to know about chimney cleaning.
- When and How Often to Clean Your Chimney. According to the Chimney Safety Institute of America, you should arrange for chimney cleaning services once there is ⅛” of sooty buildup on the walls of your chimney. This level of soot buildup is enough to cause a chimney fire capable of damaging the chimney itself and of spreading to the rest of your home. In addition, the National Fire Prevention Association recommends that you have your chimney inspected at least once a year to gauge the level of soot, check for any animals that may have built nests in your flue, and determine whether repairs are needed.
- Who Can Clean Your Chimney. While it may technically be possible to do your own chimney cleaning, you’ll get better results–and greater peace of mind–if you hire professionals like our team to do it for you. Our team has extensive experience with chimney cleaning, and we will make sure that your chimney and fireplace are completely safe to use once we are through.