Chimney inspections are important for a lot of reasons, here are 6 of them.
06 – There Could Be Animals Living In Your Chimney.
Your chimney might have become home to some unexpected guests.
Some common animals that choose to reside in chimneys are:
- Swifts
- Bats
- Squirrells
- Bees, Yellow Jackets, Wasps, Hornets, etc.
05 – Leaky Chimneys Could Cause Water, Smoke or Fire Damage
Allowing smoke out or letting water in could pose a problem for the structural integrity of your roof, support beams, masonry and walls.
You might not see leaks until the damage is already done.
All the more reason to have it looked at annually
04 – You Could Have Smoke Filling Your House
The last thing you want is a smoke filled house when your trying to keep warm over the holiday season. You don’t want to have to open the windows and kick on the fans to keep from suffering from smoke inhalation
03 – There Could Be Hazardous Creosote Buildup
Dirty chimneys can cause a lot of problems too. Creosote build up can harm your health and potentially degrade your chimney causing even more issues including potential fire hazards
02 – Faulty Parts Need To Be Replaced
Not being able to open and close the flue, having a faulty crown or cap, liners that leak are rusting or coated in creosote, malfunctioning screens + doors + ash boxes, exhaust fans.
These are just a few of the working parts of your chimney that might need to be repaired or replaced periodically
01 – Your Chimney Could Catch Your House On Fire
On average, fireplaces + chimneys account for 22,300 unintentional residential fires each year.
That is over 12% of all house fires and more than half of all fires caused by HVAC systems alone. Source
Not inspecting your chimney could cost you a lot…
An estimated annual average of 357,400 fires, 2,220 deaths, 11,470 injuries, and $6.32 billion in property loss.