Time to Dust Off the Fireplace with a Chimney Sweep
Whether you have a gas or wood burning fireplace, cobwebs, dust, and debris gather in the chimney and the fireplace. A customer had shared a story of their gas fireplace. There was a chill in the air, and the couple decided it would be nice to turn on the gas fireplace, relax and watch some TV. They weren’t regular users, probably a few times a season. They opened up the fireplace doors noticed some debris, but decided it wasn’t enough to worry about. So, they turned on the gas fireplace.
Although it was a small amount of debris, it began to spark with little pieces were floating in the air. Then came some unwanted smells. It smelled like something was burning. The couple got concerned by the gas fireplace smell, they turned it off immediately and called Superior Chimney for service. What happened?
Result of the Chimney Sweep
When Superior Chimney came to the home, the certified chimney technician immediately started the inspection to uncover what happened. We found that there was a wasp nest built inside the chimney flue. The burning smell was caused by the smoke and pieces of the debris reaching the wasp nest and burning the outer layers of the nest. Fortunately, the couple turned it off in time before it caught fire.
Once we identified the cause of the burning smell and the evidence of the debris catching fire, we continued with the inspection and sweep of the fireplace, chimney flue and checking the exterior chimney. The 14-point inspection is our thorough checklist ensuring the proper condition as each section needs to work in conjunction with the other. This ensures a good and controlled burn of the fire (even gas).
Gas Fireplaces Do Need to Be Swept
According to the Chimney Safety Institute of America, gas fireplaces need to be swept at least once per year if you use it or not. All areas of the chimney continue to deteriorate from the elements or with age and should be repaired in order to maintain the integrity of the chimney. It doesn’t matter if you are burning wood, gas or whatever your fuel source is… there is still real heat and real flames in the fireplace! Gas fireplaces are not the single and only use of the chimney.
Chimneys are also used for your appliances such as gas furnace, boiler or water heater. It is the place for the appliances to release toxins such as carbon monoxide from burning natural gas out of your home. Ensuring a smooth transition from these appliances makes for a healthy home.
You’ll Know Everything We Know
If you haven’t had a chimney inspection by Superior Chimney, you’ll be happy to know that we explain what we do and show you pictures of areas of your chimney that you’ve never seen before or up close. We want you to be educated on your chimney. This way you know what to look for if an issue arises. However, if we do find something that needs to be repaired, again the pictures will show you the details of what needs to be done and what it’s supposed to look like. When the repairs are made, again we’ll show you final pictures. These pictures are for you and your property. We email them all to you so you can refer back to them if you ever need.
Let’s get your gas fireplace swept today so you can use it when the chill gets in the air…which is right around the corner. Contact us by calling 877-244-6349
This post first appeared on https://www.superiorchimney.net
