Have you noticed that your chimney isn’t as efficient as it used to be? This is because you are doing a number of things wrong. Here are some of the wrong things you are doing as given by chimney repair experts:
You have left the damper closed
Almost everyone makes this mistake especially if they don’t spend a lot of time in the house. Water damage or soot buildup might also have forced it to shut. Take a look at the damper and if closed, open it.
If you have water damage or a lot of soot has built up, hire a chimney professional to help you with the cleaning.
You are burning the wrong wood
Did you know the type of wood you burn has a great impact on the efficiency of your chimney? For an optimally functioning chimney, burn only dry and well-seasoned wood. In addition to burning with more heat, it also produces little smoke.
Avoid wet wood as it does not produce a lot of smoke hence you have to keep on cleaning the chimney, it also doesn’t produce enough heat to properly heat up the house.
Your chimney is too short
Your chimney might be functioning poorly due to poor construction. This happens when you hire inexperienced, cheap chimney professionals. These contractors install a short chimney that doesn’t get rid of all the smoke. A short chimney also gives your house an unappealing look.
For the chimney to function optimally, it should be at least 10-12 feet in overall height. In the areas where it projects above the roof, it should be at least 3 feet tall and 2 feet higher than anything within 10 feet of it.
When you have this problem, the solution is to dismantle the chimney and install another with the right dimensions. Experienced chimney contractors can also make modifications that will make the chimney function properly.
Your chimney is dirty
When is the last time you cleaned your chimney? If it has been a while, the chimney problems you are experiencing are most likely due to accumulated soot.
When you go for years without cleaning your unit, soot is bound to accumulate in the chimney which can seriously affect the chimney functions.
Thick soot layers restrict the flue to the extent that there is no free area to vent the fireplace properly.
When your unit is functioning poorly, go up the chimney and check the thickness of creosote. If it’s more than 1/8 of an inch, the chimney needs to be cleaned.
Be cautious about the chimney sweep you hire as hiring the wrong one can lead to more problems than were originally there. Ensure the contractor is experienced enough. While he/she might be expensive, he/she will give you a great service.
Experienced contractors not only clean the unit, they also inspect it for other issues and fix them.
Birds have made your chimney their cozy home
If you don’t use your chimney regularly, birds and animals might make it their home. As you might guess, this leads to blockage of the chimney. In addition to the house being stuffy, smoke doesn’t leave.
Go up the chimney and find out if there are any live birds or animals there. If they are present, contact the animal control in your area and ask them to remove them. Don’t try removing them by yourself as you will be on the wrong side of the law.
While you are at, also check whether your chimney is packed with leaves, twigs, or any other materials that might be preventing it from functioning optimally.
The flue is too small for the fireplace opening
The flue size can be affected by plenty of factors such as chimney height, how often you clean the chimney, how the chimney is constructed, among many other things.
Take a look at the size of the flue. The rule of thumb is that the area of the fireplace opening shouldn’t be more than 10 times the area of the flue.
A small flue can’t handle a lot of smoke; therefore, when you have a large fire, some of the smoke gets back into the house.
If the flue is small, work with chimney contractors Annapolis who will help you in making the room opening smaller. Experienced contractors will use their creative masonry skills to fix the problem. They can also install smoke guards.
