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7 Reasons to Clean Your Chimney

A chimney is a vital component for every household, especially when winter strikes. It is therefore important that it gets checked and cleaned well to ensure that it is in a pristine condition. This article looks at seven reasons as to why you should thoroughly clean your chimney among which are for safety reasons and curb any potential risks that could spawn from having a dirty and stinky chimney.

  1. Guard Against Animals

A chimney is very huge attraction for some animals such as birds and rodents, which mostly use for shelter. Others could also accidentally fall into the chimney. Having animals in your chimney could also attract other things such as deposits, leaves, dirt, and branches. Other fecal material could also be found in the chimney from the animals using the chimney as their shelter.

To avoid any of these issues, consider constantly cleaning your chimney, as these animals could be end up being nuisance in your house. For instance, birds who constantly chirp create a lot of noise, making it important to exterminate them as fast as possible.

  1. Improved Chimney Efficiency

Having a dirty chimney means that lesser heat is produced by the fireplace over time. This is caused by the buildup of creosote as the chimney flue is strictly above the fireplace. The problem cannot be remedied even by the use of some ash beforehand or using seasoned wood. Any attempt to get great fire going is greatly inhibited by the buildup hence cleaning the chimney should be highly prioritized in order to enhance the efficiency of the fireplace. Regular chimney cleaning can therefore improve fuel use thus ultimately being much more economical.

  1. Reduce Toxicity of Carbon Monoxide

When the chimney is clogged and poorly cleaned, it is unable to vent properly due to the buildup of unnecessary debris. The aeration is therefore very poor inside the house, leading to accumulation of carbon monoxide. This harmful gas can result to several problems such as nausea and fatal conditions such as brain and heart damage. In the worst case scenario, exposure to high levels of carbon monoxide can even cause death. You should consider cleaning your chimney on regular occasions to avoid such problems.

  1. Avoid a Chimney Fire

A lot of dirt accumulates upon the continuous use of a chimney. This is premised on the potential substance called creosote that piles up and is highly flammable. Therefore, this compound could eventually culminate into a fire if the chimney is not thoroughly cleaned to remove the creosote. Cleaning is therefore necessary to eliminate any potential risk of a fire. This also ensures that any bad odors are eliminated by having a clean chimney without of any creosote. Nearly 30% of home fires recorded across the country have been attributed to poorly cleaned house chimneys, and this further stresses the need to clean your chimney on a regular basis.

  1. Prevent any Health Issues Caused by Creosote

Besides only being a substance that is easily flammable thus resulting to fire, creosote is also very harmful if allowed to build up. Prolonged exposure to creosote could easily result into a plethora of health hazards such as skin irritation issues and subsequent swelling. It could also result to serious organ damage such as kidney and liver problems upon any possible inhalation. You should have your chimney professionally cleaned to minimize the risk to these health conditions.

  1. Eliminate Soot Problems

Soot is the remnants in the chimney after burning something such as wood. If the chimney is not properly cleaned, the inhalation of the soot can lead to respiratory issues including some more serious ailments such as cancer if the chimney is not cleaned hence left in a deplorable state over an extended period of time.

  1. Prolong the Life of the Chimney

If the chimney is not cleaned regularly, creosote and soot tend to cover the surface of the flue, thus trapping moisture therein. This results to some rapid deterioration hence chimney cleaning ought to be done regularly to curb such a crisis.

The aforementioned reasons lead to a conclusion that it is very important to clean the chimney well and regularly in order to prevent any issues emanating from a dirty chimney. Chimney cleaning can be done as a DIY project if you have the time and skills to do that. However, it is recommended to hire a professional to help you out. Experts possess the right tools and expertise to detect issues that you would otherwise overlook.