Leaves in the Chimney, Can It Be Dangerous?
I just came inside from blowing leaves off of the lawn. It was crazy how I had to pick leaves out of the bushes, stuck inside the fence, sitting on the window sill and out of the filled gutters. Even if you have gutter guards, the leaves are still stuck on top of the guards and build up in the corners. As some of that was being cleaned up, I can also see the amount of leaves lodged all over the roof. There’s no way that we can go walking around the roof trying to clean up the leaves. Then I saw the big load.
If you have larger trees, you already know what I’m going to say. Leaves were stuck around the bottom of the chimney and lodged inside of the chimney cap. Who knows how many leaves made their way in through the chimney cap. With leaves in the chimney, can it be dangerous?
Leaves in the Chimney, Can It Be Dangerous?
Leaves can certainly be dangerous as they are dry and crack into little pieces. These dry pieces are quite flammable and if they make their way down the chimney flue and get lodged there or even if they make their way all the way down into the fireplace, these dry leaves can cause safety issues in your home.
What Can Be Done?
The first step is to contact Superior Chimney to get your chimney checked out. The certified chimney technician will check the condition of the chimney. We’re looking for brick or stone issues, mortar problems, flashing stability and the condition of the chimney cap. Each of these areas on our 14-point checklist will be reviewed with you upon completion of the full chimney inspection with photos to show you exactly what’s going on with the chimney.
Chimney Cap
Let’s go back to the areas of the chimney outside. The chimney cap is an important part of your chimney. It keeps leaves out, raccoons, squirrels, birds and bats away and any other debris from entering the chimney. It’s important that the chimney cap is secure to your chimney ensuring it doesn’t move. If it’s loose then you’ll have issues with debris getting stuck like mine did. Superior Chimney inspected the condition of the chimney cap and showed me that it would be best to put on a new one. It clearly was due. Now I no longer need to worry about debris or critters coming into the chimney flue or fireplace.
Flashing
Flashing does play a critical role. It ensures that debris, water and snow move away from the chimney. It’s that connecting piece from the chimney to the roofing system. It eliminates those weak spots where water and snow like to get in. With winter coming, it is definitely a good idea to get that checked. You really don’t want a winter leak due to melting snow and ice.
Bricks and Mortar
Bricks and mortar do deteriorate with the outside elements. Getting that checked is a great way to ensure the snow and Fall rain stay outside. One service that is important is waterproofing the chimney, which is Chimney Saver. And save the chimney it does. It keeps the chimney bricks and mortar intact and ensures the deterioration goes a lot slower. It took my chimney eight years before a small piece of mortar was coming loose. That’s how good.
Contact us today at 877-244-6349
This post first appeared on https://www.superiorchimney.net
