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With temperatures hovering near the teens this week, there are a few precautions you may need to take before firing up your chimney for the first time this fall.
Cassie Jordan is no Mary Poppins, but like the famous nanny she spends a lot of time on people's roofs making sure their chimneys are up to snuff. She fielded a lot of service calls lately and has found some interesting things.
"Everything from squirrels to bird nests, to leaves to massive amounts of creosote,”
The owner of Alaska Chimney Sweep says creosote can cause a serious fire if left unchecked. It’s recommended you have your chimney inspected and cleaned for every cord of wood burned.
"We brush it, sometimes from top to bottom, other times from bottom to top, and after we brush everything out of the stack, we clean inside the firebox,” said Jordan.
With the skies clear and the weather still dry, now is as good a time as any to get it done. Jordan’s company also inspects for cracks in the chimney that could allow water into your home.
"When we had the big melt off this spring, we had the record snowfall,” said customer Lance Nelson. “We had so much of it and it was leaking all along the bearing wall here.”
Ironically Nelson hasn't used his fireplace in 10 years, but he doesn't want his chimney to turn into a water faucet when the snow melts this spring.
Contact Adam Pinsker