If you have a strange smell coming from your chimney, you should call a chimney sweep in Alpharetta, GA, to look at what’s going on.
Odors can come from dead and living animals in the flue, a buildup of creosote, or mold growth. None of which are good for your fireplace. In addition to being harmful to the fireplace, mold can spread from your chimney to other parts of your home, which can affect the resale value and your family’s health. You may not use your chimney during the warm months, but you should keep an eye (and nose) on it to make sure that it’s usable when the cold hits.
An Ounce of Prevention
The best thing to do against mold is to prevent its growth. Mold only grows in areas where it’s damp. The first part of preventing growth is examining the chimney and making any necessary repairs, including fixing broken bricks and replacing bad mortar. If the chimney is okay structurally, you need to seal the bricks on the outside. This will protect the bricks from the pounding winter storms of snow and rain. Chimney caps are designed to keep water away from your chimney. A faulty cap may let water reach the interior of the chimney. A stainless steel rain cover with screening won’t only prevent water from getting into your chimney, it’ll also keep animals from choosing your chimney as a nice place to live.
A Pound of Cure
If your chimney smells musty, you probably have a mold problem or the conditions that could create a mold problem. While you might be able to treat mold on the outside of the chimney with an anti-fungal solution, you want to be careful because you could exacerbate the problem as well as come away with severe health issues. If you think there is mold in your chimney, don’t take care of it yourself. Instead, call a chimney sweep in Alpharetta, GA, to take care of the problem.