While the fireplace provides you with warmth and a great place to relax with your friends and family, according to chimney repair professionals, the unit is a fire hazard if you don’t take good care of it. To help you out, here are tips on how to take good care of your chimney:

Clean the fireplace

When the fireplace is dirty, it means that there is a lot of creosote deposited on the walls. There also might be birds and animals on the unit. In the event you didn’t know, it’s good you know that creosote tends to catch fire fast which puts your home at great risk.

To keep the unit in top shape, you should make it a habit to clean it at least once a year. You can also clean it more regularly than this mainly if you use the chimney a lot. You should avoid cleaning the unit on your own as you have high chances of making mistakes. The best way out is hiring a chimney contractor to help you out.

Watch the wood that you burn

Did you know that the type of wood you use in your chimney has a significant impact on the condition of the unit? To avoid a lot of soot in the unit, only use seasoned wood. This is wood that has been air dried for up to 6 months.

If possible, avoid softwood at all costs as it not only burns slowly, it also produces a lot of soot that requires you to sweep the chimney more regularly than you are supposed to.

Inspect the chimney

In addition to cleaning the unit, you also need to inspect it regularly. You should start with inspecting the condition of the chimney. Take a look inside and outside the chimney. Confirm whether there is anything that looks out of place.

If you have a masonry chimney, you need to be on the lookout for missing or loose bricks, cracks, leaning chimney, chipped masonry joints and any other faulty areas that might be there. If the unit has issues, ask a masonry contractor to fix it as soon as possible.

You also should check for leaks and stains near the fireplace. If the wallpaper is peeling, there is dampness near the chimney or stains on the walls, the unit requires your attention. Again, if there is an issue with the chimney, ask a fireplace repair professional to give it a look.