Looking for an answer to the question, "how often should you get a chimney sweep?"
Here's the deal:
Most homeowners have no idea when they should schedule a chimney cleaning service. They only remember to call when a problem appears or completely forget to schedule maintenance until it's too late.
If you don't get regular chimney sweep services, you have a fire hazard in your home.
Over 25,000 chimney fires happen every year in the United States. They cause over $125 million in property damage. But wait, there's more…
Chimney fires are the majority of the time, 100% preventable with regular maintenance.
What you'll discover:
Why You Need Chimney Sweep Services
Official Guidelines for Frequency
Warning Signs
Maintenance Best Practices
Why You Need Chimney Sweep Services
Chimney sweep services offer tremendous benefits for your home. If you are not in the habit of regular maintenance, here are a few reasons to start.
Prevent Deadly Chimney Fires
Chimney cleaning is one of the most important ways to prevent house fires.
Why? Creosote buildup is one of the biggest fire hazards in your home. When wood burns, it creates gas by-products that cool and settle as creosote on the inner walls of your chimney. Creosote is a tar-like substance.
Improve Air Quality & Safety
Think of chimney cleaning as unclogging your home's breathing passages.
When your chimney is dirty, it can't properly vent smoke, carbon monoxide, and other toxic gases. When chimneys get clogged with creosote, debris, or animal nests, dangerous gases get trapped inside your home instead of going up the chimney.
Certified chimney cleaners can identify and remove these types of blockages before they become a danger to your home and family.
Save Money on Repairs
Regular chimney maintenance saves money by avoiding costly repairs down the road.
Creosote is acidic and slowly damages the chimney liner, mortar, and metal components. Creosote buildup can severely damage your chimney if you skip regular cleaning. It eats away at the chimney's structure.
You might have to rebuild your entire chimney, which can cost thousands of dollars.
Money you could be spending on your family instead.
Official Guidelines for Frequency
How often to schedule chimney sweep services has a simple answer from the experts. Both of the major chimney safety organizations agree on the timing of maintenance. They do have slightly different methods of calculating chimney sweep frequency, though.
NFPA Annual Inspection Rule
National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards require annual chimney inspections regardless of usage.
How it works: NFPA 211 requires chimneys to be inspected at least once every year for structural integrity, creosote deposits, and clearances.
NFPA requires annual chimney inspections because the problems and damage that can occur build up over time. It's not like your chimney needs cleaning at the first hint of a problem.
CSIA Creosote Measurement Standard
The Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) has a different standard. Their cleaning recommendation is based on a measurement of creosote buildup. Specifically, they recommend cleaning when there is a 1/8 inch thickness of creosote.
Here's the catch…
Few homeowners can accurately measure the buildup of creosote in their chimney. It is one of the main reasons professional inspections are so important.
Another important note about CSIA's standard. If glazed creosote is present (shiny tar-like coating), cleaning should not be put off, even if the creosote buildup is less than 1/8 of an inch.
Glazed creosote is a special and extremely dangerous case of buildup.
Usage-Based Guidelines
Your chimney usage is also a factor when deciding how often to schedule cleaning. The more you use your fireplace, the more frequent cleaning should be.
Wood-burning fireplaces and stoves should be professionally cleaned after every 50-70 fires. For those that use their fireplace weekly during the winter, that means an annual cleaning.
Gas fireplaces are less of a problem, but annual inspection and cleaning every 2-3 years depending on use is recommended.
Pellet stoves are the same, cleaned after 2-3 tons of pellets have been burned. Pellet use tends to be less than cord wood, so this often equates to twice each heating season.
Warning Signs
The appearance of certain symptoms means that you need to get immediate attention from a professional chimney sweep. These warning signs should not be ignored.
Visible Creosote Buildup
Creosote buildup is heavy and can be seen without climbing onto the roof. All you have to do is look up into your fireplace with a flashlight.
Check inside your fireplace, near the damper. Creosote will look like a dark, tar-like substance that is coating the inner walls of your chimney.
If you can see it, it should be cleaned. Shiny, glazed creosote is an emergency and should be cleaned immediately.
Smoke Problems
Smoke entering the room instead of exiting up the chimney is a serious issue. It means there are blockages that prevent proper venting of smoke.
Animal nests that block the flue, excessive creosote, and broken dampers can all cause smoke problems.
Smoke issues not only create a health hazard but also require emergency service.
Strange Odors
The smell of a campfire from your fireplace when it's not in use is a sign of creosote buildup. Creosote problems are indicated by the increased odor, which is most pronounced in humid weather.
If there is a strange smell coming from the fireplace or in the fireplace area, it needs to be inspected immediately.
White Staining on Exterior
White, chalky deposits on the outside of the chimney are a sign of moisture problems. The "efflorescence" appears when water is trapped and dissolves salts in the masonry of your chimney.
Moisture can lead to other structural problems and conditions for mold growth.
Maintenance Best Practices
Chimney maintenance involves more than just an annual professional cleaning. Smart homeowners also follow these best practices to help reduce problems between professional visits.
Burn the Right Wood
What you burn in your fireplace or wood stove makes a big difference in creosote production. Seasoned hardwoods are better because they burn hotter and cleaner.
Good options include Oak, hickory, maple, and ash with less than 20% moisture content.
Avoid burning pine, fir, and other softwoods that produce excessive creosote. Also, don't burn treated lumber, cardboard boxes, or trash.
Schedule Off-Season Cleaning
When should you get your chimney cleaned? Fall is a popular time because everyone thinks of it at once. Spring or summer are much better times to schedule cleaning services.
Availability of professional sweeps is much better. The costs are lower due to less demand, and there is time to make repairs before the heating season.
Don't wait until the end of September to call. Plan ahead and save money.
Install Preventive Equipment
Preventive equipment can also help reduce maintenance needs and improve safety. Chimney caps are the most common example.
Chimney caps keep rain, debris, and animals from entering your flue system. The "cap" on your chimney keeps everything out.
Pro tip: Buy a stainless steel cap. It will last much longer than a basic metal one.
Wrapping It Up
Frequency guidelines are very simple to follow. Get an annual inspection from a professional chimney sweep, and have it cleaned when necessary due to usage or creosote buildup. Don't wait for problems to appear before taking action.
Here are the main points to remember:
Annual inspections, even if the chimney is not in use
Warning signs to watch for between visits to professionals
Burn only seasoned hardwood to help minimize creosote production
Plan ahead for maintenance during off-season for better service
It's well worth spending the money on professional cleaning. The safety of your family is much more important than the cost of a chimney sweep service.
