One of the benefits of cold weather is that you finally have an excuse to build a cozy, crackling fire in your family’s hearth. Before you gather the wood and heat water for hot chocolate, make sure your fireplace is ready to be used. Here are three things you need to do before using your fireplace.
- Call a chimney sweep. Before you start a fire, make sure your fireplace is ready. Call a local chimney sweep to clean and prepare your home’s hearth. Try not to be disappointed when your chimney sweep looks nothing like Dick Van Dyke from Mary Poppins.
- Have a professional check for cracks. Chimneys don’t only need to be cleaned, but the interior also needs to be inspected for cracks. A cracked flue can not only be a fire hazard, but it can also cause dangerous gasses to enter your home.
- Call Integrity Roofing to check the exterior of your chimney.
One of the most critical services our team provides is that we will inspect your chimney to see if it’s ready for winter. Most people don’t realize that this part of your home needs to be maintained. As a roofing company, we get more calls regarding leaks around chimneys than you can imagine.
Prevent these leaks by having one of our roofing and siding experts inspect the chimney’s mortar and bricks to make sure it is not cracked or damaged.
We will also examine the flashing around the chimney. We will ensure that the surrounding siding is in good shape and will fill in any gaps with caulk.
Cold weather is coming! Prepare for it by calling Integrity to examine your chimney.
