Annual Care & Maintenance: Hire a Professional to Clean & Inspect Your Chimney
The average masonry chimneys in North State counties only last 25 years. The reason they don’t last is simple: water damage. Water damage is most often caused by the neglect of chimney maintenance. Not only the life of the chimney is affected by neglect, but efficiency declines. When you notice your fireplace or chimney begin to work less efficiently, it is a good time to schedule a chimney check-up. The Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) recommends regular chimney cleanings and annual chimney inspections by a CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep® (CCS) to ensure the efficiency and safety of your fireplace and chimney system.
Neglecting your regular chimney sweeps and annual inspections may compromise the safety of your home and family.
For instance, the accumulation of soot and creosote can become a serious fire hazard. Over the last fifteen years, chimney-related fires have been reduced by sixty percent nationwide due to proper chimney installation and professional maintenance. We at White Glove are proud to contribute to this reduction in fires because fewer fires means fewer casualties. However, if you neglect to have your chimney cleaned creosote accumulates quickly! Also, a Certified Chimney Sweep® will notice problems during a cleaning that may call for an inspection. Our professionals at White Glove Chimney and Air Duct are experienced in and offer level 1, 2, and 3 inspections. We use specialized cameras in order to see the interior of the flue and offer detailed reports for our customers, for insurance or real estate purposes.
When you schedule your annual inspection, not only is your chimney cleaned from top to bottom but all of the readily-accessible parts of your chimney are inspected. If the chimney sweep finds something of concern during the level 1 inspection, level 2 or 3 inspections are required. It’s during this inspection that damage is found.
Cleaning your chimney and scheduling regular inspections are simple preventative measures that can save you money in the long run. Most chimney problems will be seen by an experienced professional before it presents themselves to the homeowner. Usually, by that time it’s caused extensive damage to the chimney system. White Glove doesn’t only offer regular chimney sweepings and inspections. Our expert chimney sweeps also provide maintenance for wall furnaces, which need to be serviced every few years. Included in this maintenance is disassembly, cleaning, and inspection of the wall furnace. Also as part of our cleaning services, we offer removal of fireplace and masonry stains with the use of a ChimneySaver product called Paint “N” Peel. We strive to offer products and services that will please our customers and leave the fireplace and chimney squeaky clean and in proper working order.
If you’re ready to tend to your fireplace and ensure its efficiency and safety, don’t neglect your annual inspection and regular cleanings. If you would like to schedule your chimney cleaning or inspection, call us today at White Glove Chimney!