Many homeowners often ask, When should I contact a chimney cleaning service? The answer to that is whenever it is necessary. There are many different reasons you may need to contact your local chimney cleaning service. Some of these reasons include: when your chimney is clogged with debris, or when there is a creosote buildup. It is important to note, that clogged chimneys and fireplaces cause devastating house fires every year, causing damage to properties that add up to hundreds of millions of dollars. These fires can, unfortunately, cause fatalities as well.

If you don’t know how to inspect your fireplace and chimney yourself, you may consider getting in touch with a professional chimney cleaning service like SootMaster. You should hire someone to clean your chimney and inspect it at least once a year. Did you know that it is mandatory to get your chimney inspected to prevent house-fires?

What a chimney cleaning service tries to determine during an inspection is whether the deposits have reached one-eighth of an inch in thickness, which would imply that it is time to get your chimney cleaned. In fact, in the case of newly installed wood-burning fireplaces or wood-burning stoves, it would make sense to have a mid-season inspection to ensure that everything is in good shape.

You may want to get the fireplace swept more than once a year in instances where there were a fuel and vent mismatch. That aside, there are a number of things that make it necessary to hire the services of a chimney cleaning service.

You should hire a chimney cleaning service when:

There are Creosote and Soot Buildups

As stated earlier, a creosote or soot buildup can cause quite a dangerous situation as they can lead to devastating house fires. The number of people who disregard this huge problem is larger than one would imagine, even though it is a ridiculously dangerous thing to ignore. Creosote is highly flammable, and get set on fire, it can cause a devastating chimney fire. Soot can also be damaging to your chimney, as it blocks the smoke from your fire from reaching outside.

There are Acidic Deposits

The combustion process leads to the deposition of acid inside the chimney, weakening the metal and masonry that it is comprised of. Acidic deposits must be cleaned out of your chimney to avoid any hazards.

There is a Presence of Birds or Other Animals

Chimneys that are infrequently used often end up housing small animals and birds. Bird’s nests, leaves, twigs, small branches, and other debris too can cause blockage inside a chimney. It’s obviously important to get all of these things cleared from your chimney to avoid harm to animals and to also make sure that there is proper ventilation for your fire.

You are not Trained to Clean Your Chimney Yourself

The thing about chimney cleaning is that though it is not a regulated industry that requires special permissions or licenses, only a specialist should do it because of the risk factors. If you get in touch with a professional chimney cleaning service, they will likely not just sweep the fireplace, but also check the liners, firebox, smoke chamber, flue, and exterior of the chimney. They should also be able to provide advice on the best way to maintain the chimney, but also recommend any repairs or maintenance if required.

You Don’t Have the Time or the Proper Equipment

The task of inspection and cleaning your chimney yourself is very difficult, and could potentially be dangerous. You must acquire the proper tools and cleaning agents to ensure that your chimney is not subject to catching on fire. That aside, there is also the question of your personal safety, as you will likely come across a lot of airborne pollutants like soot, dust, and toxic gasses during the cleaning process, requiring you to wear protective gear like breathing masks.

A professional chimney cleaning service can make things a lot easier for you, by taking care of everything from the inspection, the chimney sweeping, and the clean up once the job is over. They should also be insured for damage caused to property and injury suffered by personnel during the sweeping process. Above all, you will have peace of mind, as you will know that a professional chimney sweep will do a good job.

Be cautious when hiring a chimney cleaning service. As mentioned earlier, chimney cleaning is not a regulated service, so make sure you check the reviews of the company, to ensure their credibility. Don’t just hire the cheapest chimney cleaning company, as they could be one of the many scammers in the industry.

These scammers will likely do a very poor job of cleaning your chimney and put you and your property at risk from fire or leakage of dangerous gasses. It is far better to hire a professional chimney cleaning service and pay a little more, than risk catastrophic long term loss.

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