The Importance of Regular Chimney Cleaning

Every homeowner needs to do specific maintenance on their home annually. Duct cleaning is one important part, and having your ducts cleaned regularly ensures that your furnace runs smoothly. It also helps to clear out allergens and prevent impurities from being circulated throughout your home.

Chimney cleaning is another very important procedure in your home’s maintenance schedule. Most insurance companies require an annual inspection and/or cleaning of your chimney, and it is definitely worth spending the minimal amount to have your chimney professionally cleaned. A clean chimney is much more efficient and safe than a dirty one. As you burn wood in your chimney, the soot and other impurities build up within the flue and create a blockage, which can cause a dangerous chimney fire. In addition, the build up of deposits in your chimney can cause dangerous carbon monoxide to build up in your home. If you use a fireplace, you should definitely consider installing a carbon monoxide detector for safety reasons.

Another important reason to have your chimney cleaned, and one that many people do not consider is that during the summer months when you are not using your fireplace, birds and animals can enter your chimney. Bird nests or animals in your chimney can cause dangerous blockages and prevent efficient operation of your fireplace.

The entire procedure to have your chimney cleaned is very quick, and should be completed in under an hour. The chimney sweeper will climb up on your roof with the use of a ladder and then proceed to clean the chimney from the top down with a series of brushes. The brushes are inserted into the top of the chimney and these serve to loosen and then clear the build up from the inside of the chimney. All of the debris brushed from the inside of the chimney will fall down into your fireplace in a pile, so it is very important that the door is closed on your fireplace before the process begins. Once the sweeping has been completed, the chimney sweeper will need to enter your home and clean the firebox. Usually, a shop vac is used to remove all of the debris that has dropped down from inside of the chimney.

Annual maintenance is crucial to the performance of your fireplace. If your chimney is dirty and not venting properly, then you will not have an efficient source of heat. Wood is and has always been one of the best heat sources, because it gives off a nice comfortable and most importantly, very warm heat. It is also very important to ensure that the wood that your burn is thoroughly dried out. Burning wet wood, or wood that is not completely dried out causes build up much more quickly within your chimney than dry wood.

One of the most important aspects of chimney cleaning performed by your chimney sweeper is the inspection of your chimney. They should be able to report to you on the condition of your chimney as well as if anything needs to be replaced or repaired.

Improving your home’s HVAC, utility bills and saving the planet

Believe it or not there could be something in your home literally draining the air and money out of it. No, not your kids (well maybe them too), but most homeowners, home improvement novices , and even renters don’t realize they could be wasting money and losing comfort by allowing their home to pump its air and heat out into the open world. Lets look at how this could be happening.

Half of the energy used in your home goes to heating and cooling. Making smart decisions about your home's heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system can produce big effects. Some good practices are to check your filter at least every 3 months; although, its a good idea to check more during seasons that require heavier use like summer and winter.

“I’ve done everything and have kept up with the maintenance on my HVAC system, but I still feel like it’s not as efficient as it should be”
Regular maintenance can extend the life and performance, though there’s really no set time limit to replace a HVAC system. As a good rule of thumb, if it’s more then 10 years old and not meeting you needs it may be a good idea to have it inspected, and if needed,replaced. Replacing an old unit could drastically improve the task of keeping your home at a comfortable temperature all throughout.

My unit works fine, what else could it be?
Ducts are used to distribute conditioned air throughout the house. In a typical house, however, about 20 percent of the air that moves through the duct system is lost due to leaks, holes, and poorly connected ducts.This loss causes the unit to work even harder to attain the desired household temperature. Unsealed ducts can pose health risks due to remaining vapor from gas appliances and cleaning products with no way to quickly and efficiently exit the home. Also, how long has it been since your house received a thorough duct cleaning? Over time, you ductwork can become clogged with dust, dirt, pet dander, and other nasty things which can restrict airflow. Oftentimes air duct cleaning will help distribute the "climatized" air throughout the house in the manner your HVAC system was originally designed.

what can i do?
If you have reason to believe your ducts are leaking due to:

• Rooms that are difficult to keep cool in the summer and warm in the winter
• Utility bills unreasonably high
• Lack of air flow in a room that makes it feel just plain stuffy

then sorry, you courageous Do-It-Yourselves, it’s probably best to leave sealing those leaks to the professionals. Failing to find and seal every leak properly can make major pressure imbalances, which could make matters that much worse. In addition, contractors have on their arsenal big expensive tools that just wouldn't be worth buying yourself, or storing yourself for that matter (yay! No more over sized microwaves or doohickeys to fit in your closet.)

Let’s review,

• There are a number of important parts that work together, so your problem could be caused by any combination of mechanical and/or duct failure; which is why second opinions are always a good idea!

• Even if you did everything you could for your HVAC unit, sometimes it’s just too old and needs to be replaced

• Most people whose air ducts leak have no idea that there is a problem, nor how to tell. (Now you’re no longer one of them!)

Thanks for reading,
Brought to you by our friends at Maryland home improvement and Duct Cleaning Twin Cities, 260 Clarence St, St Paul, MN 55106 - (612) 412-1867