When to Call in a Chimney Sweep for Help

As Chicago’s best chimney sweep and restoration service, we spend a lot of time preaching the virtues of an annual chimney inspection and cleaning. Annual chimney service is one essential way to ensure the continued safe operation of one of the most treasured parts of your home.

However, there are issues that may pop up with your fireplace or chimney between annual inspections, or if it’s been more than a year since we’ve last seen you. If you notice any of these issues happening in and around your chimney, it could require a separate visit from a certified chimney sweep.

Drafting

If you notice smoke entering your room after lighting a fire, that could be a sign of a downdraft issue. Outdoor winds can cause a draft down your chimney. This can because of an oversized flue, a too-short chimney, or lack of chimney cap. We recommend replacing your chimney cap, adding a flue stretcher, or an exhaust fan to help solve this issue.

Water around the chimney

There are four main reasons for water in and around your chimney or fireplace. They are a missing chimney cover, insufficient or failing chimney flashing, leaking chimney bricks, and a cracked chimney crown. If you spot moisture, do not hesitate to call in a chimney sweep. The longer you wait, the more long-term damage you could be doing to your chimney’s and home’s structure.

Your chimney smells

Any build-up of soot in the chimney will cause odor problems in your home. Sweeping is obviously the first step, but will not remove the embedded creosote that has penetrated the masonry of the fireplace. Creosote, especially when wet, has a very powerful, obnoxious odor. Another source of fireplace or chimney odor is dampness and negative pressure in your home sucking those odors into the living space. Waterproofing your chimney (see above) and creating positive pressure in the home is recommended to alleviate this issue.

Animals are living in your chimney

In our decades of experience of chimney sweeps, we’ve seen just about any form of life you can imagine living in chimneys. While squirrels, birds, and raccoons are probably the most common, finding a snake in a chimney or fireplace isn’t out of the question. If you have discovered animals, birds, or bats nesting in your chimney, you should call in a chimney sweep. We have expert knowledge and experience in not just removing these animals and birds, but training in how to do so without harming them and where to remove them. We’ll also discover how the critters go into your chimney and stop it from happening again.

As we’ve stated in previous blogs, DIY chimney repair or cleaning is not a good idea. The margin of error is slim and the chance of catastrophic results is too great.

Whether you’re in need of a regular inspection, or something out of the ordinary is happening with your chimney or fireplace, contact Valley Chimney Sweep & Restoration today!