Our Company Blog

Chimney health hazards you should know about

It’s no secret that chimneys are dirty places. What might not be so obvious is that the substances that collect within your chimney can pose some serious health hazards. It’s important to know what chimney health hazards might affect your home and family and how to avoid those hazards.

Some chimney health hazards include:

• Creosote exposure. Creosote forms within your chimney every time you burn wood. The dark, tar-like substance can cause serious health problems if you come into contact with it. Creosote can cause skin and eye irritation. If ingested, it can damage and irritate your kidneys, lungs and liver. Long-term exposure to creosote has been linked to mental problems and cancer.
• Smoke and soot inhalation. Smoke and soot travel up your chimney each time you light a fire. However, some of that smoke might be making its way back into your home and into the air you breathe. Smoke and soot inhalation can cause breathing problems, aggravate asthma and cause bronchitis. Long-term wood smoke and soot inhalation also can lead to lung cancer.
• Carbon monoxide poisoning. All combustion creates carbon monoxide. Like smoke, carbon monoxide should be traveling up your chimney and safely out of your home. If your chimney is blocked or not functioning properly, however, that carbon monoxide can build up within your home and sicken you and your family. Carbon monoxide poisoning causes headaches, nausea, dizziness, fatigue, loss of consciousness, organ damage and even death.

Before you swear off using your fireplace, know that there are ways that you can safely burn a fire within your home, without compromising your health or the health of your family. To protect your family from chimney hazards:

• Have your chimney swept and inspected by a certified chimney sweep at least once per year. Your annual chimney sweep will remove hazardous creosote and soot from your chimney, reducing the chances that creosote will find its way back into your home. Your chimney sweeping and inspection also ensures that your chimney is functioning properly and free from blockages, which means carbon dioxide and smoke will be able to safely exit your home. Never attempt to clean your chimney yourself, as that can expose you to creosote and soot.
• Make sure your chimney is drafting properly. If lighting a fire sends smoke back into your home, consult a chimney sweep. An improper chimney draft can be caused by a blockage in the chimney, improper flue size and negative pressure within the home, among other things. Correcting your draft will help keep smoke and soot out of your home.
• Only burn properly seasoned firewood. Dry firewood burns hotter and more efficiently than wet or freshly cut firewood. That means when you burn properly seasoned firewood, less creosote and soot will build up within your chimney.
• Upgrade your fireplace. Fireplaces have become increasingly efficient in the last 25 years. Upgrading your open-hearth wood-burning fireplace with a fireplace insert can lower the amount of particulate matter enters the air each time you light your fireplace.

While your chimney does come with some health hazards, you don’t have to avoid using your fireplace to protect your health! By following the proper precautions, you can enjoy your fireplace safely.

The Importance of Reviewing Your Chimney Sweep

You know the importance of having your chimney cleaned and inspected each year, but after your sweeping and inspection is complete, there is one more step you should take: Reviewing your chimney sweep! Taking the time to review your chimney sweep’s service is valuable for your neighbors, you and the chimney sweep.

Why Review Your Chimney Sweep

These days, a great deal of business communication takes place online. Homeowners look for companies to hire via the internet. In addition, businesses review their online footprint for feedback. With that in mind, business reviews can be helpful in a variety of ways, including:

• Helping your neighbors to make good hiring decisions. The primary reason to leave honest reviews of your chimney sweep is that it can help your neighbors when it is their turn to hire a chimney sweep. Your honest review can help your neighbors evaluate your chimney sweeping experience and get a feeling about which chimney sweep is right for them. It can also help them to hire a reputable company and avoid a potential chimney sweeping scam.
• Getting you better service. Your honest online review can help your chimney sweep to evaluate their services. A balanced review can help sweeps determine what they are doing right and what they can improve upon. That means your online review could lead to even better service the next time you need to have your chimney swept!
• Supporting a small business. The best way for companies to get new business is through word of mouth. In the digital age, online reviews are word of mouth and provide the best testimony businesses can get as to the quality of their service. If you are happy with your chimney sweep, providing an online review can be a helpful way to support your chimney sweep’s business.

How To Leave a Valuable Business Review

Now that you know the importance of reviewing your chimney sweep, it’s important that you know how to leave a helpful review. A well-written review will inform potential customers and provide valuable feedback to your chimney sweep. A good business review:

• Is not written when upset. If you’ve had bad service, it can be tempting to hit the internet and write a scathing review. That doesn’t really help anyone. Angry reviews usually don’t provide valuable insight to potential customers, and they don’t help you to get a better outcome from the business. If you are left angry by a company, contact them personally to provide an opportunity to resolve the situation.
• Paints a thorough picture. Provide all necessary details that could provide context for your service. What day and time was your appointment? Was your appointment during the busy season? Did your sweep arrive on time? Was he courteous and thorough? Did he answer all of your questions? Did he leave the house clean? You should provide a balanced review of what you appreciated and what you think could have been improved upon.
• It must be free from errors. The review will not be taken seriously if it is riddled with errors. Then take a moment to look for spelling errors and typos and to double-check facts. Reviewing your chimney sweep can take a few moments of your time, but providing a quality review helps potential customers, you and your chimney sweep.