We Provide Thorough Chimney Inspections to Charlottesville & the Neighboring Areas
Looking at standards laid out by the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA), the National Chimney Sweep Guild (NCSG), the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), and other industry and safety organizations, there’s one common opinion among them all – annual chimney inspections are a must.
Just about every sweep you come across will tell you that inspections should always be completed before starting your burning season, and as CSIA-certified sweeps, The Chimney Guys agree.
If you have yet to get yours on the books, the time to give us a call is right now!
But wait. Why is this the protocol so many suggest? Why exactly are inspections such a big deal? Well, here’s the lowdown on some of the biggest benefits of scheduling annual chimney inspections.
#1 Inspections Help Avoid Dangerous Creosote Accumulation
Creosote sure loves your chimney, but we can’t say the feeling is mutual. Creosote develops from the acidic gases and water vapors your fires produce, and it clings to the sides of your chimney as you burn fuel. Unfortunately, the more that creosote builds up, the more issues you may wind up having with your system.
You see, creosote is extremely flammable. A little buildup isn’t bound to do much harm, but if it accumulates to excessive amounts, that’s a different story. You could experience a chimney fire. When this happens, heat and flames slowly spread through your chimney, causing lots of harm and damage along the way.
As you can imagine, extensive, time-consuming, and very costly repair work will be required if a chimney fire occurs. And since chimney fires aren’t usually loud or obvious events, you might be using your fireplace totally unaware that you’re facing risks by doing so.
Unfortunately, creosote isn’t something you can altogether avoid. No matter what, it’s going to form, so ensuring it’s regularly removed is vital for both the health of your chimney and the safety of those living within the home.
And how do you know if your chimney contains dangerous amounts of this harmful substance? By scheduling that inspection!
#2 Inspections Help Catch Repairs Early
Another big benefit of getting an inspection booked every year is the opportunity to catch damage sooner rather than later. When it comes to your chimney, the more quickly you can complete repairs, the easier and more cost-effective the process will be.
Annual inspections allow us as sweeps the chance to catch malfunctions and minor issues before they grow into something worse. And many times these are the very things putting your home and family at risk, so you don’t want to take any chances.
No matter what, your chimney is going to require maintenance from time to time. Even the homeowner that does everything right will have to invest in preventive maintenance, updated parts, and minor damage repair every so often. Whether these go from easy fixes to expensive restoration jobs is up to you!
We’re Members of the NCSG – You Can Put Your Trust in Us
We’ve mentioned our CSIA certification, but did you know we’re members of the NCSG, as well? This means you get a double guarantee that we know what we’re doing and you’re in good hands with us. By being members, we’re able to take advantage of trainings, lectures, and seminars – all of which further cement our chimney knowledge.
And in this industry, there’s always more to learn! A company that doesn’t value education doesn’t value your safety much either. Staying on top of any news or updates in the chimney world ensures our customers never face unnecessary risks.
Join The Chimney Guys Family
Has it been more than a year since your last chimney inspection? Give us a call! We’re family-owned, and we want you to know that if you trust us with your home, we’ll treat it with respect. We treat every chimney we inspect as if it were our own.
Give us a call to get your appointment set up. We can be reached at 434-481-3796, and we’d love to hear from you.
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When it’s time for your next chimney sweeping, call our experienced chimney inspections and sweepings crew.