Chimneys are very useful to use especially in the winter season. They help in making your home warm and cosy. However, owning a fireplace also comes with its fair share of responsibilities such as proper maintenance. Regular maintenance can help you to use your chimney for a long period without any issues.
But, the truth is – most property owners rarely care about their chimneys which is why professional home inspectors in Katy always inspect chimneys & fireplaces thoroughly. Bad chimneys can turn out to be a safety hazard if the problem isn’t solved instantly. Thus, to help you know more about the different chimney defects, we are listing some of the most common ones below.
Significant Chimney Defects To Be Wary Of
- Heavy Creosote Build Up
One of the most likely yet dangerous scenarios that most chimneys tend to suffer from is the extreme build-up of creosote over time. When you burn a fire, creosote is a by-product of the same. So, if you don’t clean creosote regularly, then it can lead to a chimney fire.
Creosote can be defined as a black substance that’s hard when it’s cold. But, when the material is heated up again, it tends to soften up, melt and drip down inside the chimney and the firebox. It’s a highly flammable substance that can easily trigger a fire inside the chimney and then spread across the entire house. The good news is that – when creosote is cold, it can easily be cleaned out using a sweeping brush.
- No Chimney Cap
Homeowners believe that the chimney cap is only utilized for decoration purposes. But, the real thing is – it has much more uses than just being a showpiece. The chimney cap protects the chimney from any fallen debris as well as any animal nesting. During a storm, the chimney cap might blow away and you won’t even notice the same.
Without a chimney cap, your chimney will highly susceptible to water damage. So, if there’s a presence of metal on the chimney’s inner lining, the metal can start rusting, making the chimney unsafe.
- Flue Is Damaged
The flue of the chimney forms an important component as it helps in moving gases out of your house. But, if the flue gets damaged, then the mortar can proceed to degrade over time, rendering it useless. One of the easiest ways to detect flue damage is to see whether creosote is seeping through the bricks. Such a scenario shows that there’s a defective mortar and it can easily prove to be a fire hazard.
That’s why maintaining your chimney is of utmost importance. Non-maintenance will lead to costly repairs as well as being a safety hazard.
