If you enjoy using your fireplace, you know how important it is to keep it cleaned and maintained for it to work properly. However, chimney cleaning and chimney repair in Alpharetta is a job best left to the professionals. Chimney cleaning in Atlanta can be a much more difficult task than do-it-yourselfers anticipate, so here are 5 reasons you should call a professional to do the job for you.
Proper Creosote Removal
The smoke that travels up your chimney contains unburned carbon material droplets that condense on the inside of the flue, which forms creosote. Creosote is extremely flammable and can easily ignite if it’s allowed to build up on the inner walls of the chimney. This is what causes a chimney fire, which is an extremely hot-burning fire. A chimney fire can become very dangerous because flaming debris can go out the chimney and onto your roof, your neighbor’s roof, or on any other flammable materials in the yard. Creosote is removed during a professional cleaning to help prevent a chimney fire as well as blockages that can prevent smoke from leaving the chimney. It’s very difficult for an untrained eye to know if they’ve adequately removed the creosote from the chimney walls.
Time Savings
Your time is valuable and attempting to clean or repair a chimney on your own is not only going to take you hours or days, but you still have no guarantee that the chimney was properly cleaned or repaired, despite your best efforts. On the other hand, a trained professional is both efficient and effective when cleaning or repairing the chimney. So you’ll be able to have the job done quickly so that you can move on with your day and have peace of mind that it was done correctly as well.
Professional Tools
One reason doing chimney repairs or cleaning on your own is so difficult is that high quality tools just aren’t as accessible or practical for a homeowner to purchase as they are for a professional. It doesn’t make much sense to purchase costly tools that you not only aren’t sure how to use, but that you’re not likely to use very often. It makes more sense to invest that money into a professional who has his or her own tools and knows how to use them to make sure your chimney is cared for properly.
Less Mess
Unless you have the time and energy to cover the furniture, floor coverings, and decorations in the room with the fireplace, cleaning the chimney yourself can be very messy because of all the soot and ash. Even then, you’re likely to end up with a big mess that’s difficult to clean. However, professionals have special vacuums that greatly minimize the mess so you won’t have to worry about that.
Safety First
It’s safer for everybody if a professional repairs or cleans the chimney because this often requires someone to be on the roof. Additionally, professional technicians will be certified and trained, ensuring that they will be safe and that the methods they use are safe for you and your family.