Owning a home is a lot of work. Even if you build a brand new home, there is always something to clean, something to maintain, or something to repair. Thankfully, there are quite a few home maintenance chores that you can hire a professional to do for you. It is nearly impossible to know everything about every appliance and piece of equipment in your home and how to repair it all. Even appliance repair technicians call in other specialists to help them with other areas of their home Chimneys and duct work, for example, are things that the average homeowner knows very little about. When it comes to Monmouth County chimney service in particular, calling a professional is always recommended. An unkempt or dirty chimney is a dangerous thing. Never leave the safety of your home and family to chance and schedule an inspection of your chimney every year.
Ash Pit
Found in the bottom of every wood burning appliance, this is an area that collects ashes until they are disposed of. It is recommended to keep approximately 1-inch of ash on the floor of your fireplace. This insulates coal that is formed and creates a hotter-burning fire. However, ash should not be allowed to build-up over one inch or remain in the pit or box once the season is over. Ashes left in a pit too long can corrode the metal.
Baffle
An object within another object that changes the direction of air flow. A properly functioning baffle in a chimney directs gases when and where to escape. When starting a fire, the baffle is often kept closed in order to keep as much of combustion gases in the stove to raise the temperature.
Cap
A chimney cap is installed on top of a chimney in order to prevent rain, snow, and critters from getting into the chimney. It can be very dangerous to operate a chimney that has a broken or missing cap. A large amount of debris can build-up inside the chimney without one. This can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning, smoke to flow back into the home, and even chimney and house fires.
Creosote is the #1 Reason to Schedule Monmouth County Chimney Service
Creosote is a black, tarry, by-product of smoke produced by burning fuel. When smoke is unable to properly escape the chimney or an excessive amount of smoke is formed by using unseasoned wood, creosote can accumulate quickly on the inside of the chimney. Removing this build-up yearly is essential to safe fireplace use.
Chimney Flashing
Flashing is usually made of sheet metal and is used to waterproof the connection of the chimney to the roof. Without it, leaks are likely. An annual chimney inspection ensures there is no damage to the flashing and repairs it if necessary.
Flue
The passageway that gases use to escape to the outside. Similarly to a chimney blocked with debris or creosote, a damaged or cracked flue can cause gases like carbon monoxide to seep into the home. To prevent these and other dangers, an annual Monmouth County chimney inspection is crucial.
Parging
A coating on the inside of mortar chimneys that smooths the surface allowing gases and smoke to flow more freely. It is generally agreed upon within the industry that parging applied by hand is preferred over a spray-on application.
Video Scans are Used by Monmouth County Chimney Service Professionals
One reason that chimney care is best left to the professionals is because most of the parts of a chimney are not readily visible. Special equipment and tools are needed to appropriately examine the condition of each part. Chimney service that doesn’t include a video scan of the inside of the chimney is not quality service.
Never Neglect Monmouth County Chimney Service
Neglecting the care of many appliances does nothing more than make you replace them sooner due to early failure. Disregarding the care of your chimney, however, is extremely dangerous. Every year, before you put even one piece of wood in your fireplace, be sure to have your chimney inspected by certified Monmouth County chimney service specialists to make sure it is fit for use.
