Many people aren’t afraid of heights, are great at fixing their homes and are able to clean and maintain their chimneys Maybe they have enough time to go up on their roofs and clean off the creosote from the chimney walls, fix any chips, cracks or spalled masonry and inspect the interior of the chimney. There’s no doubt that cleaning your chimney and fireplace yourself will save you some money.
Other people feel that they don’t even need a semi-annual chimney cleaning. But creosote buildup is easily ignitable and can cause a chimney fire. The cost of the damages will far exceed the cost of having their chimney cleaned regularly.
Not doing anything and risk waiting for a chimney fire to occur is not a viable option. You could perform your own maintenance and chimney cleaning, especially. Or if you don’t want to take the personal risk of climbing to the top of your chimney, you can hire a professional and certified chimney sweep to do it for you.
Keeping your chimney clean and is necessary for its proper functioning and safety. Getting an inspection by a trained professional may be just as important as getting regular chimney cleanings. The advantage of hiring a professional is that they are trained to identify all of the potential issues that your chimney or fireplace may have. They can identify problems with chimney flues, firebox, damper and even the exterior flashing. A periodic chimney inspection will help reduce the risk of a chimney fire or worse.
