10 Reasons to Choose a Professional for Your Chimney Clean-Up

Fireplaces are often a sought after addition to any house, no matter the size. Not only are they aesthetically pleasing, but they are very relaxing and you are able to sit back and enjoy yourself in a cozy armchair in front of a crackling fire whenever you get home from work. However, if you are using your fireplace regularly, or you are using it again after it’s been switched off for a while, such as during the winter months, then you might need to think about scheduling your chimney clean-up.

If you are planning to update your fireplace in any way, especially during the colder months, you should always steer away from doing it yourself. There are plenty of do-it-yourself chimney tips out there, but opting for a professional is the best option. Not only will you make sure that the job is done correctly, but you can do it so much safer than that! Furnace repair is not something you should be doing by yourself, ever! Let’s take a look at 10 reasons you should be choosing a professional for your chimney clean up this year.

• Getting rid of any hazardous obstructions. One of the reasons you should always make sure you have a professional chimney cleaner coming into your home to get your chimneys looked at is because you don’t know what’s up there. You don’t have the tools to get to the top of the chimney anyway, and even if you did, you might end up with a dead bird or a dead pest on your head. Obstructive chimneys are a huge danger, and without the right knowledge you could put yourself and your home in that danger when you’re trying to clear it up. Burning away the obstructions may be tempting but it’s a super bad idea when you could end up setting something on fire.
• Fire prevention. You have your smoke alarms being looked at at least once a year, which means that you know the importance of fire prevention. You know that the last thing that you want for your home is for it to go up in flames, so don’t treat it like you want it to! When you don’t have your chimney adequately serviced, you’re going to end up with a huge fire risk and that can be a problem. Creosote can build up when you burn wood for your fires, and if you don’t keep on top of keeping it clean, you’re risking fires every single time.
• You can’t see it all. There are plenty of things that could be going on inside the chimney you wouldn’t know about because you can’t see to the top of the chimney. A professional will be able to identify any issues from the bricks and mortar inside of the chimney. The damper system and flue may not be familiar to you but your chimney professional will know about those and how to clean them. There are so many issues inside chimneys that go unnoticed because to an untrained eye, it looks like a chimney should look. DIY projects are likely to go wrong and it’s important that you identify those problems early.
• You want to improve the chimney’s efficiency. With a professional coming in to regularly clean and inspect your chimney, you’ll ensure that the fireplace is working efficiently, is burning better and is comfortable. Ideally, you want to use your furnace less and efficient fires will ensure that is the case. With fewer harmful emissions, you can have a chimney that’s better for the environment. 

• Improving the lifespan of your flue. Would you know how to use a flue liner? These are one of the most important components of your chimney and if you want to protect your home from carbon monoxide and fire, it’s the flue liner that’ll do this. Having your chimney cleaned professionally will mean that you can avoid your flue liner being overtaken by buildups of soot. Moisture can wear the lining down over time, however, and you should consider that with a regular cleaning, this can be avoided.
• It’s all in the experience. It’s very nice to imagine that this job is going to be easy to do yourself but sometimes, DIY just doesn’t cut it. You can pretty much solve most problems in the home by yourself but the chimney is just not something you should be doing alone. It’s nice to be able to do what you can but bringing in the professionals will keep your home from suffering without it!
• You get the best advice. You could still manage some of the chimney maintenance alone but you can get the best and most professional advice from a chimney professional. Sweeps will advise you on how you can maintain the fireplace between cleanings and inspections, and they will suggest different wood types you could be using. They’ll also let you know how you can plan ahead to fix any issues as they occur. This advice is so important if you want to ensure that your fireplace works well all year around.
• You’re going to save a lot of cash. If you’re actually paying out for someone to come and see your chimney you won’t think you’re saving much money but the truth is otherwise! You’ll find that with the experts, you won’t make silly mistakes with your chimney and it will be more of an investment to have someone’s opinion to help you.
• The right tools will be used. Doing it yourself is all about saving money. But when you do it yourself, you have to invest in the right tools for the job instead of investing in the tools and potentially making a mistake and then having to hire a professional. Skip all of those steps and hire the professional anyway. Some chimney tools are high-powered and they are specialized to remove any of the creosote buildup. When you pay them with the right chemicals, they can be hazardous, so you need to ensure that you are getting the right advice.
• The right insurance. Chimney professionals are covered by insurance, which means that if something goes wrong, they will be covered and you won’t have to add any additional costs.