It’s Time for Spring Chimney Cleaning

The long winter is finally over. As the weather warms up, spring projects crop up that motivate us to get out of the house and get moving. While you’re finishing up your spring cleaning, working in your yard or tackling a new home improvement project, don’t forget about your chimney! 

Whether you used your fireplace frequently throughout the winter or only a couple of times, it is smart to schedule a cleaning in the spring. The Chimney Safety Institute of America recommends getting your home’s chimney cleaned and inspected at least once a year. This is the best time of year to schedule it. Here are the top 3 reasons why:

• Beat the Rush

Since many homeowners put off their annual chimney cleaning and inspection until the last minute, it can be hard to get an appointment with a chimney expert in the late summer and autumn. Especially since that is also the season when many homeowners hire a chimney expert to have a new fireplace or fireplace insert installed. You may be forced to hire an inexperienced or poorly qualified chimney sweep. You can beat the rush and get the best chimney sweep by taking action early and scheduling a cleaning and inspection in the spring. 

• Improve Your Home’s Air Quality

Whenever you use your fireplace, soot and creosote (a highly flammable combustion byproduct) build up in the chimney. After the winter, a substantial amount of creosote and soot may have built up. If this build up is left in your chimney over the summer, the warm temperature and humidity can cause it to smell. Having it cleaned out in the spring will prevent your chimney from developing a pungent odor. It can also reduce your allergy symptoms by improving the air quality in your home.

• Get Extra Time for Weather Proofing and Repairs

Scheduling your annual chimney appointment in the spring will also leave plenty of time for weather proofing or repairs. Moisture is the greatest enemy of a chimney system. Whether you have a masonry fireplace that could use a new coat of weather proofing sealant or a prefabricated fireplace that needs a new chimney cap, taking care of it in the spring is the best way to prevent moisture damage. 

If your chimney needs to be repaired, a spring inspection might save you hundreds of dollars or give you the opportunity to have the repairs done in stages. We come across many types of chimney damage from major issues like broken flue liners and deteriorating mortar to warped dampers and broken chimneys caps. Often, what started as a small problem has become a larger one because it wasn’t caught early on. Scheduling a cleaning and inspection soon after winter reduces the chances that you will have costly repairs. If an inspection does uncover the need for costly repairs from an unforeseen event like a chimney fire or a hidden defect like a missing flue liner, you will have more time to decide what options to pursue.  

If you are ready to set up your spring chimney cleaning, give us a call at (800) 395-6660! We serve a wide area from Southwest Wisconsin and Northeast Iowa to Northwest Illinois. Our nationally certified chimney sweeps will do a thorough cleaning and inspection. If we find any problems, you can count on us to give you a thorough report, answer all of your questions and present you with the best options.