Fireplace maintenance is one of the most important things homeowners can do to keep their homes safe from fire. It is the lack of maintenance that leads to most fires and chimney failures. Regularly maintaining your chimney will keep things like loose debris and creosote from building up and catching fire. Believe it or not, there is some maintenance you can do yourself.
For starters, never burn a fire for longer than 5 hours. If your situation will allow, try to keep the glass door open. This allows cool air to come into the chimney. When you do this, make sure you have a fireplace spark screen in front of your fireplace. It will keep fire sparks from jumping out and burning carpet or even starting a fire. If children are present, keep an eye on them for safety’s sake. Keep the glass door clean after each use, and never vacuum up the ashes in the fireplace. You never know when some might still be hot. Essentially, wait 24 hours before cleaning out the fireplace. That will allow the ashes plenty of time to cool.
After you perform these DIY fireplace maintenance tasks, schedule regular maintenance inspections from a professional chimney sweep. This double edged approach will keep your fireplace and chimney working safely for a long time.
Our Portland Service Area
Located right here in Portland, Oregon, our chimney sweep technicians provide the best in chimney cleaning, fireplace installation and dryer vent care in the Greater Portland-Metro area. From North Portland down to Tualatin and Oregon City in the south, from Pleasant Valley in the east to Beaverton and Sherwood in the west – when it comes to your chimney, fireplace and vents, we hope you’ll call American Chimney & Masonry!
Ready To Make An Appointment?
To schedule an appointment with one of our expert technicians, please call 503-644-0393 or fill out our online scheduling form. With over 19,000 satisfied customers since 1989, we are ready for more! We look forward to visiting with you soon about your fireplace and chimney sweep needs.
