While the brickwork involved in the construction of older chimneys can add an elegant touch to a home, it can also make the chimney quite dangerous. If fire reaches the masonry of a chimney, it can spread to the home quickly, which is why steel (or tile) chimney liners are always included in modern construction. Installing a new metal liner helps to protect your chimney and your entire home, but this doesn’t mean you can neglect to hire a chimney sweep for annual visits.
All about creosote
Even with a quality chimney liner in place, creosote is likely to build up inside of the chimney and a fire is capable of spreading to other areas of the home (even if the liner makes it somewhat less likely). Creosote forms on the inside of chimneys as a result of incomplete combustion. Byproducts of combustion build up in the chimney to form a tarlike substance that takes a lot of work to scrub off.
Fire may not be able to escape through cracks in the masonry. But creosote ignites easily, and it’s the main reason that fires sometimes spread to the outside of a home. Regular cleaning and inspection keeps you informed about the condition of your chimney and makes the chimney a lot safer.
Chimney cleaning is a job for the experts
The bottom line is this: no matter how often you use your chimney and no matter how durable the materials inside of your chimney may be, annual inspections and cleaning are so important to your safety and the performance and life of your chimney.
Trust this job to an expert, and make the call as soon as possible so that the colder weather doesn’t catch you by surprise. Experts have the proper tools and know-how to get the job done right and leave no dangerous flammable substances behind.
Call the experts at 2nd Generation Chimneys, Inc. to schedule chimney cleaning and inspection services with one of our certified chimney sweeps in the Minneapolis area.