CHIMNEY CLEANING AND REPAIRS

The chimney is a structural component of the house that produces heat in the winter. Cleaning the chimney is critical to keeping it in good condition and avoiding potential problems caused by a dirty chimney. A chimney in perfect working condition is essential because it prevents the harmful effects that poor working condition causes in both people and homes. In addition, a dirty or poorly maintained chimney will be less efficient because heat will be lost.

Cleaning and maintenance of the chimney should be done at least once a year and preferably twice by a professional chimney sweep. Cleaning and sweeping the chimney is critical to ensuring its proper operation. It helps avoid scares, both in terms of our home and our health. Some of the advantages of cleaning a chimney includes the following:

It prevents fires
A clean fireplace will function properly because there will be no buildup of ashes, carbon, or other flammable residues that can cause combustion when you least expect it. Cleaning the chimney is important not only for aesthetic reasons but also for our safety.

Poisoning is avoided
If you do not maintain the fireplace properly, it can lead to allergies and other respiratory problems in the people who live in the house in the long run. Furthermore, when the wood is burned, gases are produced that accumulate if the chimney is not swept and clean. This can result in carbon monoxide poisoning.
With proper maintenance and cleaning of the chimney, you can avoid the unpleasant odors caused by accumulated smoke.

Energy efficiency
The efficiency of a dirty chimney will be greatly reduced if you continue to use it. By cleaning it, you will ensure that the heating installation works properly. On the contrary, if the chimney is not clean, you will lose nearly 10% of the heat that could be received.
Your home will be safer with a clean chimney. Check with your insurance company about the possibility of hiring a professional chimney sweep to perform fireplace maintenance so that it is ready for use before the peak season.

The most common fireplace repairs. Tips and Tricks

Fireplaces, in addition to heating rooms, provide a great sense of warmth in the home that is unrivaled by any other type of air conditioning system. However, they, like any other device or appliance in our homes, are not immune to problems or breakdowns. And if you lack the necessary knowledge, your repairs can be a major headache. There are numerous types of fireplaces, each with their unique characteristics and potential breakdowns.
The following are some of the potential issues that a chimney can cause, as well as how they can addressed and repaired.

Obstruction of the vertical smoke outlet tube

One of the most serious issues with any fireplace is a lack of maintenance and cleaning. Being in constant contact with ashes and debris, it is very common to have the impression that they are ready for battle and that it is hardly necessary to consider their maintenance. Nothing could be further from the truth; fireplaces necessitate a great deal of attention and care. First and foremost, they must be cleaned practically after each use. Depending on the type of fuel used, special brushes will be used to clean your chimneys.

In addition, you will have to perform a superficial cleaning, removing any leftovers from previous uses. A thorough cleaning of the entire chimney by a professional chimney sweep, on the other hand, will only be required once a year. You will not only need to clean the main shell of the chimney, but you will also have to ensure that the smoke evacuation tube and its outlet on the roof of the house are in perfect shape.

Smoke entering the room

Another common problem in chimneys is the presence of bothersome smoke throughout the room. Sometimes, for whatever reason, the smoke does not exit where it should and enters the room. This is one of the most irritating issues due to the strong odor and stinging of the eyes that it causes.
There are open fireplaces with doors that allow you to choose how you want to enjoy them, and many other fireplaces are designed to be completely closed and hermetic.

When closed chimneys emit smoke from the front, smoke output must be controlled by sealing the doors. It is recommended to have a special sealing cord for chimneys, which can be made of any plastic material and has a diameter of about 10mm.
To fasten the glass of the doors, you will need to inspect the staples that hold it to the frame and ensure that they are in perfect condition, which will require you to replace broken ones with the same type of staples and add some more if necessary.

Problems in the temperature control system

You can control the temperature inside the most modern and current fireplaces at all times, as well as the temperature of the room they are heating, thanks to built-in thermometers that act as air conditioning, similar to car air conditioning systems. It is quite common for these mechanisms to fail because they are electrical systems that can fail. Failure may be due to a bad blow and the subsequent loosening of a cable, or even a power surge in the home’s electrical system can affect the moment of its operation. To deal with these repairs, some knowledge of the subject is required, as well as some skill in disassembling and reassembling the entire system in search of the fault. In this case, it is recommended that you contact the manufacturing company and its technical service to determine the source of the problem and the best way to resolve it.