Our Company Blog

Schedule Your Chimney Sweeping Early

Too often, people put off their home service appointments. Why? Usually it’s because they dread finding time to be home to have that service performed. Annual chimney sweepings and inspections often fall under this category. Unfortunately, many homeowners put off their annual chimney maintenance for that reason. Did you know that you could enjoy easier scheduling of your chimney sweeping? Simply schedule it early!

Why early scheduling matters.

The vast majority of homeowners wait until fall to schedule their annual sweeping and inspections. This means, when you wait until the fall, you’re competing with everyone else for an appointment date and time. That can leave you struggling to find an appointment time that will fit within your schedule, so that you don’t miss out on any of the fire-burning season.

When you call to schedule your annual chimney sweeping and inspection early, you beat the rush. You’ll be able to schedule an appointment sooner. By doing this, you don’t have to worry about not being able to get your chimney swept and inspected before fall. Since you won’t be rushed, you will be able to pick a date and time for your chimney sweeping that works better for you!

Other benefits of early scheduling.

A less rushed, more convenient time table isn’t the only reason to schedule your chimney sweeping and inspection before fall. What if your chimney inspection turn up any signs of damage or need for repair? Scheduling now will leave yourself plenty of time to have your chimney and fireplace repaired. Plus, the summer weather is ideal for chimney maintenance. Also, if you have your chimney inspected before the rush, you won’t have to combat with all of the other homeowners scheduling appointments!

What’s another benefit of early scheduling? It gives you time to contemplate improvements to your fireplace or chimney. No matter what you have in mind, you’ll have the time to discuss these improvements with your sweep. Not to mention, you’ll have plenty of time to schedule those improvements before the fire-burning season begins.

Schedule your chimney sweeping and inspection today!

Don’t wait to get caught in the fall rush. Enjoy the benefits of an early chimney sweeping and inspection! Add convenience, and plenty of time for repairs and improvements, by calling to schedule your annual chimney sweeping and inspection now! You can schedule your appointment with Your Chimney Sweep by calling our office at (317) 243-9687 or by filling out the appointment request form found on our website.

Maintaining a clean smoke chamber

By now, you understand the importance of keeping your chimney clean. You may not know the importance of keeping one element of your chimney particularly clean: The smoke chamber.

What is the smoke chamber?

The smoke chamber is the bottommost portion of your chimney, located just above the damper. The smoke angles inward and upward toward the chimney flue. When your fireplace is in use, the smoke chamber funnels the smoke from your fires into the chimney flue.

Why is it so important to maintain a clean smoke chamber?

Smoke chambers take a lot of abuse. When a fire is burning, the smoke chamber is subjected to extremely high temperatures. Any creosote or debris that has built up within the smoke chamber is a fire hazard. The extreme heat from the fire can cause creosote or debris to ignite. In fact, many chimney fires originate within the smoke chamber.

Additionally, creosote and soot can build up rapidly within the smoke chamber. The shape of the smoke chamber can cause smoke to bounce around the chamber when fire is burning, causing creosote to form. On top of that the smoke chamber is also tricky to clean. Because of the smoke chamber’s shape and location, the smoke chamber isn’t easily seen or accessed during a chimney sweeping. It takes special care and attention from the chimney sweep to ensure that the smoke chamber is clean and free from any damage or weaknesses.

What else should you know about your smoke chamber?

During your annual chimney sweeping and inspection, it also is wise to ask your chimney sweep about your smoke chamber’s construction. Smoke chambers should be smooth, to help smoke find an easy path to the chimney, but many masonry smoke chambers are improperly constructed. In those chimneys, smoke chambers are feature “steps” caused by the staggering of the bricks, causing the smoke to swirl around and remain in the smoke chamber longer than it should.

If your smoke chamber is improperly constructed, it can be corrected with parging. Parging involves smoothing the smoke chamber walls with a specialized masonry material. Parging your chimney’s smoke chamber makes your chimney safer and increases the efficiency of your chimney. Often, parging the smoke chamber can resolve fireplace smoking problems.

How can you ensure that your smoke chamber is clean and properly constructed?

As with most chimney maintenance, maintaining your smoke chamber begins with a chimney sweeping and inspection. During your sweeping, make sure you ask your chimney technician about the cleanliness, condition and construction of your smoke chamber. If you want to ensure that your smoke chamber is clean, properly constructed and designed to keep your home safe from the threat of a chimney fire, call Your Chimney Sweep to schedule a sweeping and inspection today!