Post by : Admin
16-Apr-2021
Chimney fires are no joke. Approximately 25,000 chimney fires are reported every year in the United States. These fires can be as extreme as fire being shot from the roof of your house and dangerous enough to burn down a house completely.
Today, we’ll discuss how to avoid these fires and the importance of chimney services in preventing fires.
The first step you’ll want to take is to find out if you are at risk of a chimney fire occurring in your home. Quite a lot of chimney fires go undetected but still manage to cause infrastructure damage. Slower-burning chimney fires are not easy to detect, but they can still cause damage to the chimney or start a fire in other combustible areas of the house.
Signs that you are at risk of a chimney fire starting can if your chimney feels like it is cooler than usual, if the air supply to the chimney is being restricted in some way, or if you regularly use unseasoned wood that hasn’t been dried off completely yet. All of these factors contribute to a build-up of creosote, which is the main cause of any chimney fire.
Creosote is a by-product of wood being burnt. This substance, along with other by-products of burning wood, travels up the chimney. Without proper airflow, or if the chimney is cooler than it needs to be, this substance creates a residue that gets stuck to the chimney walls and is highly flammable. The creosote needs to regularly be cleaned out to prevent it from catching on fire. While fireplaces and chimneys need to be cleaned out a minimum of once a year, regular use can mean you need more maintenance checks due to increased creosote build-up.
Depending on the type of chimney you have, a chimney fire can lead to different outcomes. If you have a masonry chimney, there’s a really good chance the fire will burn the flue linings inside the chimney. The temperature at which flue burns can cause the brick and mortar to break apart and even collapse. Woodstove chimneys may not collapse completely but may separate the pipes from the stove and need to be replaced.
The best way to avoid fires in your chimney is to regularly get chimney cleaning done. Our Creative Masonry and Chimney team have some of the best chimney sweep and chimney repair services in CT. Get in touch to schedule a chimney inspection and cleaning.
