Proper Chimney Care
Worth being clear about, proper chimney maintenance involves:
- the fireplace
- the flue liner
- the mortar
- the chase
- the crown
- the flashing
- the cap
- the whole kit and caboodle
The entire system has to be kept clean, in largely undamaged condition, and up to speed with current codes. It is not a simple task, and it is one that homeowners are absolutely advised to turn over to CSIA certified chimney sweeps. Critical to home safety, proper chimney care is worth every penny, and most homeowners are surprised by how few it takes.
Chimneys are significant expenditures in any budget they fit into, and repairs and replacements can be costly. When labor alone can run from $60 to $150 per linear foot, even pre-fab components and above-roofline work gets expensive. Maintaining chimneys properly is well worth the amount spent by home owners on the regularly scheduled services of chimney sweeps.
Chimney Inspections
If a clean chimney in good condition were not essential to home safety, homeowners could let it slide. As it is, though, chimney fires account for too many house fires, and poor draft accounts for too much carbon monoxide poisoning. Regular inspections of chimneys by qualified professionals plays a huge part in their proper maintenance and safe use.
It is often the inability to inspect the condition of the flue liner or the cause of warping that gives away an incompetent sweep. In all likelihood, virtually anyone can be simply trained to just “sweep” the chimney, but it is the experience and expertise of a professional that enables them to quite a bit more than just the tedious task of cleaning a chimney. Responsible homeowners need to find a certified sweep to handle both the regular cleaning and the competent inspection of their chimneys.