Our Company Blog

Are You Suffering With a Smelly Chimney

Are unpleasant odors from your fireplace making your home’s air unbearable this summer? Chimney odors are extremely common and can be caused by a variety of issues. When those odors mix with summer’s heat and humidity, they can intensify and fill your home, causing you discomfort, frustration and embarrassment. The good news is that you don’t have to suffer with chimney odors.

What causes chimney odors?

• Animal infestation. Animals and birds often will seek refuge inside a chimney. It is a warm, dark place protected from the elements. Animals and birds will build their nests within chimney, and with those nests, they can leave behind bits of food or fecal matter. Those bits of food, that fecal matter and even the nesting materials can break down and decay, filling your homes with the unpleasant smells of rotting food and animal waste.
• Creosote. Every time you burn a fire, creosote forms on the inside of your chimney’s walls. You probably know that creosote left within your chimney can create a fire hazard, but you might not know that creosote can introduce an unpleasant burning smell into your home, particularly when the creosote is exposed to moisture and high temperatures.
• Water leaks. Leaking chimneys cause a host of problems, including chimney odors. A leaky chimney can fill your home with a wet, moldy smell.Leaves and other debris. Leaves, twigs and other debris can blow into your chimney and buildup. When the organic matter begins to decay, it can fill your home with a compost-like smell.
• Dead animals. Perhaps most unpleasantly, dead animals trapped within your chimney can fill your home with a strong decaying smell. Birds and animals can make their way down a chimney flue, become trapped and die. Unfortunately, the hot summer sun can intensive the already strong smell that comes from a dead, trapped animal.

How can you get rid of chimney odors?

Eliminating chimney odors begins with having your chimney cleaned. Your chimney sweep will be able to locate and clear away the cause of the chimney smell, whether the source is an animal, creosote or leaves. If a larger issue is at play, such as a water leak, your chimney sweep will be able to locate the leak and prescribe the best course of action for repairing your chimney. Your sweep also will be able to guide you in preventing future chimney odors. While regular chimney sweepings help keep odors at bay, other changes to your chimney, such as a new chimney cap or a top-sealing damper, can keep odor causing animals or debris from entering your flue. If your chimney’s draft is allowing odors to flow back into your home, your sweep may recommend a chimney exhaust fan to keep odors flowing up and out of your chimney rather than back into your home.

If you have been suffering with chimney odors penetrating your home this summer, don’t continue to endure those foul smells! Call Your Chimney Sweep to schedule a sweeping and inspection today to locate the source of the smell and eliminate the odor.

What’s Hidden in Your Chimney? The Benefits of a Video Chimney Scan

From the National Fire Protection Association to the Chimney Safety Institute of America, the leading authorities on chimney safety promote the importance of having an  annual chimney sweeping and inspectionto keep your home safe from the dangers of a chimney fire. At Your Chimney Sweep, we take our chimney inspections one step further by employing Chim-Scan video inspections.

What is a Chim-Scan inspection?

A Chim-Scan chimney inspection is, simply put, a video inspection of your chimney’s interior. For the inspection, a specialized chimney camera is inserted through your fireplace and up your chimney’s flue.

Why does Your Chimney Sweep believe in Chim-Scan inspections?

It is easy for damage to stay hidden within your chimney. While video chimney scans usually are recommended if visual inspections hint at significant interior damage, we believe video inspections are always valuable. Chim-Scan inspections allow us to spot damage early, before it can lead to major structural damage or before it can allow a fire to escape your chimney and ignite in your home.

With a Chim-Scan video inspection, we can spot a variety of problems within your chimney, from cracks in the liner to water-damaged flue tiles. Additionally, many chimney fires are small-scale blazes that go unnoticed. They can cause enough damage to weaken your chimney system and put your home at risk. With a Chim-Scan video inspection, we can spot those subtle signs of damage and help you avoid a more extensive and more dangerous chimney fire in the future.

The other major benefit of a chimney scan is that it allows us to share the results of our chimney inspections with our clients! With a Chim-Scan video inspection, you don’t have to take our word that your chimney has damage that needs to be addressed; we can show you! That video evidence can help us clearly illustrate any chimney problems and can help us work with our clients to formulate the best solutions for having their chimneys in safe working order.

When should you have a Chim-Scan inspection?

The Chimney Safety Institute of America recommends a video chimney scan as part of a Level II chimney inspection when chimney systems have undergone any changes, when they have suffered damage from a fire, a storm or a seismic event, or when a property with a chimney undergoes a sale. At Your Chimney Sweep, we believe that video chimney scans are beneficial as part of any chimney inspection to give you a clear picture of what is going on inside your chimney.

If you are worried that your chimney has suffered damage or if you are purchasing a property with a chimney needing a Chim-Scan inspection, call Your Chimney Sweep today!