Reasons Why An Annual Fireplace & Chimney Cleaning Is Important (2024)

FAQs

Why is it important to have your chimney cleaned? ›

Why Do You Need to Clean the Chimney? Chimney cleaning is more a matter of safety than a matter of aesthetics. Over time, a chimney will build up certain blockages. These can catch on fire and destroy your home or make it easier for smoke and CO² to flow back down into your home.

Both the NFPA and Spisto recommend getting your chimney cleaned and inspected once a year by a qualified professional. Carli says that regardless of chimney type, you should you have your chimney swept at least one time a year.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recommends an annual chimney inspection to check for soundness, freedom from deposits, and correct clearances. These inspections are crucial even if cleaning, maintenance, or repairs aren't immediately necessary.

Fireplace styles that burn wood or prepackaged logs require cleaning to remove soot and ash. Electric fireplaces and gas fireplaces also need routine cleaning to look their best. Both regular and seasonal cleaning is essential to keeping any fireplace safe and attractive.

The buildup of creosote and soot can prevent a chimney from venting properly. This means the harmful smoke and gases that should be traveling up and out have no place to go and instead retreat into the home. Toxic fumes including carbon monoxide can poison the air inside the home.

HETAS encourage having your chimney swept at least twice a year when burning wood and at least once a year when burning smokeless fuels. The best times to have your chimney swept are just before the start of the heating season and after your stove has not been used over a prolonged period.

Prevents a potential fire: One of the biggest reasons to get your chimney inspected is to help prevent a potential fire. Chimney fires are mainly caused by creosote which is a highly flammable substance that begins to stick to the chimney walls over time.

"Ideally, you should be cleaning your fireplace after each use," Mock says. "However, we know that sometimes that is just not possible or you simply don't want to, so you should be cleaning your fireplace at least once a month."

Several factors affect the life expectancy of a chimney, such as the type of material used for construction, the frequency of use, maintenance, and repairs. Generally, brick chimneys can last between 50 to 100 years, while metal chimneys have a lifespan of 15 to 20 years.

The best time to clean chimneys in your home is in the warmer months, between spring and late summer—essentially, before you need to think about lighting any fireplaces for warmth when the weather turns cold.

Why is fireplace maintenance important? ›

Regular maintenance can help prevent safety hazards such as chimney fires, carbon monoxide poisoning, and smoke inhalation. It can also help ensure that your fireplace is running at its most efficient levels, saving you money on energy costs.

The black, oily residue seen inside a chimney is creosote buildup. If there is too much buildup inside the chimney, it can hinder the escape of smoke from the fire and impact how well the fire starts and burns.

Frequency of cleaning: It is recommended to clean the kitchen chimney at least once a month to ensure its efficient functioning. However, the frequency of cleaning may vary depending on the usage and cooking style.

Because we offer these services in tandem, many of our customers don't realize that chimney cleaning — also referred to as a chimney sweep — and chimney inspections are two very different services. A chimney cleaning is an act of removing creosote from the interior walls of your chimney.