A fireplace can bring warmth to a cold winter’s day. The heat and glow from the flames cheer up any room, and sitting near the fireplace is a wonderful way to rest after work or school. To keep a fireplace functioning as it should, regular maintenance is needed, and one of the most important parts of maintaining a fireplace is keeping the chimney clean. Getting Professional Chimney Cleaning in Frederick MD can help. A good chimney service knows how to safely and efficiently keep a chimney in top working order.
To make sure a chimney works properly, it needs to be cleaned once a year. This will not only deal with substances that have built up inside of the chimney during regular use, but also check for other potential problems, such as cracks or a bird nest in the flue. The most common things that a chimney service will clean up are soot and creosote. Creosote is the biggest problem for chimneys, because it accumulates inside of a chimney as wood burns, and once enough of it has built up, it can cause serious problems. Creosote catches on fire easily and can start a fire up inside of a chimney. Having a chimney service clean out the creosote will help prevent this from happening.
In addition to annual chimney cleaning, using good fuel can assist with the smooth operation of a fireplace. For wood fireplaces, some woods are better than others. Pine, for example, is not an ideal wood to use, because it causes more creosote buildup than some other woods. Gas fireplaces burn cleaner than wood, but their chimneys also need to be checked regularly to ensure their safety. The best time to have a chimney cleaned is when it is not being used, such as during the summer, or shortly before it will be used, such as in early fall.
The small amount of time and money it takes to hire a chimney service and have them clean out a chimney is well worth it. They will not only make sure a chimney is safe and not at risk for catching on fire due to creosote, but also make sure that the chimney is functioning at its best. Click here to learn more about getting Professional Chimney Cleaning in Frederick MD.