As a homeowner, you must be wondering how long you can go without cleaning your chimney, right? Well, the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) recommends that homeowners who use liquid and fossil fuel heating units clean their chimneys at least once a year.

To be on the safe side, you should stick to these recommendations. It will even be better if you can hire chimney cleaning services providers to clean your unit twice a year.

If you ignore your chimney for a long time, you put it at great risk. These risks include:

You increase the risk of fire

Many homeowners are unaware that a house fire occurs somewhere in the United States every 87 seconds. This is a frightening statistic. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), house fires result in more than $8 billion in losses every year.

Additionally, house fires are responsible for 74% of all civilian injuries.

An NFPA research discovered that failure to clean the chimney was the leading cause of house fires.

So, how can a dirty chimney wreak such devastation? Combustion occurs when you light a gas stove or burn wood in your fireplace. Combustion produces a variety of byproducts, including carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and particulate matter.

When these compounds combine inside the chimney, they produce creosote. Creosote begins as a white powder that is easy to sweep away. However, as you continue to light the fireplace without cleaning, it accumulates in the chimney.

Over time, creosote hardens into a crusty, tarry substance that adheres to the flue and inner walls of the chimney. It is also quite combustible at this point.

When the temperature inside the fireplace rises too high, or a hot ember ignites the creosote, it causes a fire to start in the chimney. A chimney fire may consume an entire home in less than three minutes.

It can lead to respiratory problems.

A dirty chimney might also lead to various health risks. Creosote and other impurities that accumulate in the flue are irritants that, if exposed for an extended period, can become toxic.

If you have gone for a long time without cleaning your, you may have flu-like symptoms. So, if you feel unwell inside your home but feel better outside, a dirty chimney could be the cause.

Symptoms include skin irritation, burning eyes, coughing, difficulty breathing, headaches, and nausea.

If you do not clean the chimney and continue to breathe these pollutants, you are more likely to get respiratory problems, lung cancer, and even skin cancer.

You expose yourself to carbon monoxide.

Going too long without cleaning your chimney might potentially lead to increased exposure to carbon monoxide. Every year, more than 50,000 people are hospitalized, and over 400 die as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning.

When you wait too long between chimney cleanings, residue from the gases produced during combustion accumulates in the flue.

Additionally, small animals, bugs, and debris can clog the flue, preventing harmful gases from exiting down the chimney.

With nowhere else to go, these pollutants return to your living space, posing great risk to you and your loved ones.

Let a chimney sweep do the work.

As much as you want your chimney clean, you shouldn’t try to clean it by yourself. Instead, you should let a professional do it. Hiring a professional comes with plenty of perks that include:

You reduce the risk of injury

A professional chimney cleaning necessitates getting on the roof. Falls from ladders are common, with over half a million occurring each year.

By allowing a qualified chimney sweep to clean your chimney, you eliminate the risk of falling from your ladder or roof.

You reduce your exposure to chemicals.

During chimney cleaning, you remove creosote and soot from the chimney liner. The compounds are hazardous. If you are sensitive to lung or eye irritants, you can avoid potential difficulties by delegating the task to professionals.

You save time

It takes time to properly clean a chimney, especially when you don’t have access to cutting-edge expert equipment. You will save a lot of time by delegating the nasty spring cleaning duty to professionals.

You have peace of mind.

A clean chimney means your property is protected from the risk of a dangerous chimney fire when you use your fireplace again. A clean chimney will not emit the unpleasant odors that creosote can produce during the warmer months.

This gives you peace of mind as you know that your family is safe. You also don’t worry about fire starting.

You protect your home from toxins.

Cleaning a chimney flue causes the discharge of numerous pollutants, and microscopic particles may enter the air in your home if you do it yourself.

Experts have the necessary equipment and abilities to prevent dangerous contaminants from entering your home through the chimney.

As part of the operation, professional chimney sweeps use a HEPA soot vacuum built exclusively for chimney cleaning.

You may be certain that your furnishings, carpeting, and indoor air are as clean after chimney sweeps leave as when they arrived for chimney cleaning.

Parting shot

As mentioned, you should make it a habit to clean your chimney at least once a year. If you use your chimney too often, you should have it cleaned at least twice a year.

If you want to save some money, you can clean the unit by yourself but for the best outcome, let an experienced chimney sweep Elicott City do it.

Besides this saving you from the risk of going up the roof, it also gives you peace of mind as you know that the professional has done a good job so you don’t need to worry about the chimney getting on fire.

You also don’t worry about exposing your family to carbon monoxide poisoning.