Fireplaces are a lovely way to keep warm this winter: providing a cozy and romantic atmosphere while providing inexpensive heat to keep your whole family warm. With winter officially arriving in Hammond, LA this year, now is an ideal time to use your fireplace. Before the season proceeds much further, however, it pays to get the fireplace examined by a trained technician to ensure that it’s functioning as it should. Why? Because doing otherwise might be more dangerous than you think.
Blockage
During the summer, leaves, birds’ nests and other detritus may have built up in your chimney. They can easily block the flow of smoke out of it or even ignite if you let them. A chimney cleaning service can clear them out before you use the fireplace to ensure that it stays safe.
Creosote
Creosote is a waxy build-up that coats the interior surface of the chimney, creating by the soot and smoke of burning fires. It can slow the passage of smoke and air up the chimney and is extremely flammable as well. If you haven’t cleaned your chimney in a while, it needs to be addressed before you use the fireplace on any regular basis.
Structural Damage
Wear and tear can affect the bricks of the chimney itself, and with the flooding we experienced this summer, there’s a much greater chance of damage to the outside portions of your fireplace. It pays to have an expert give it a thorough inspected before you use the fireplace. In the event of trouble, you can schedule repairs and get the issue addressed before a catastrophe occurs.
Inspections should occur at least once a year in order to keep your fireplace running the way it should. If you haven’t scheduled a fireplace inspection yet this year, then contact A Professional Heating and Air today!