How to Care for & Clean Your Chimney & Fireplace in the Winter
During the winter, your chimney is a workhorse for venting. In addition to fireplace use, the chimney is in constant operation for exhausting your heat. Just like you’d take care of your HVAC system, it’s also important to care for your chimney and fireplace this season. This is how you can keep both components in tip-top shape until spring arrives.
Wintertime Care for Your Fireplace
As you watch the fire flames dance inside your fireplace, don’t forego basic care to keep your family safe.
Ash Levels
First, watch your ash levels. If your fire is burning continuously, naturally more ash will accumulate. An excess amount of ash can cause a fire to burn out quickly. Leaving about one inch of ash is ideal for building and maintaining a fire.
Clean the Hearth
Keeping the hearth clean will help prevent soot buildup. It’s made of tiny carbon materials and it contains acid, chemicals, and dust. It can also produce a foul smell.
Cleaning your hearth can be accomplished with a vacuum and common cleaning products that you likely have on hand. The video below shows how you can safely and effectively clean a brick fireplace hearth.
Clean the Glass Doors
Lastly, you’ll want to keep the glass doors clean. Soot can also stick to the glass and it’s important to keep this area clean. You can keep your glass door in place to keep pets and kids safe.
Caring for Your Chimney
As winter winds blow, basic chimney care is good to know!
Beware of Critters
It’s no secret that it gets quite cold in Boston during the winter. This is the time of year that you’ll find critters trying to find warmth inside your chimney. It’s not uncommon to find birds or even raccoons seeking shelter.
Keep your ear out for strange sounds coming from your chimney. You might also find animal droppings in or near your fireplace. If you hear or see evidence of animals, contact a professional such as Boston’s Best Chimney.
Cracked and Crumbling Chimneys
The harsh winter environment can send your chimney crumbling down. This is because the freeze and thaw cycle can crack the bricks. Over time, it can ultimately crumble and lead to a chimney collapse.
The bad part is that it’s hard to see cracked bricks from the ground. Here at Boston’s Best Chimney, we climb up on roofs in all sorts of weather to inspect the structure of your chimney.
If you have concerns about your chimney or fireplace, there is still time to get an inspection or schedule a chimney sweep. Get in touch with us today by calling 781-893-6611.
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