How To Improve The Performance and Safety of Your Chimney System
We all want our cars to perform well and get us safely where we need to go. Guess what- we also need performance and safety from our chimney system! While you may not think about it very often, this is incredibly important for those living in a home with a fireplace.
How could a chimney have performance? Isn't it just a tube of bricks with a hole through the middle that carries smoke out of your house? No way! It is far more complicated than this. The brick exterior of your chimney that you can see from the outside of your home is only a small part. It is actually a complete system with several parts and pieces, all working together to keep your family safe and your house warm.
If you don’t give their chimneys much thought, you're not alone. Let's make today the day that changes! There are things you can do to improve the performance of your chimney system. The even better news is that you don't need to spend a fortune to do it.
Safety
If your chimney does not efficiently remove combustion products from your fireplace, you can have a problem. Potential issues range from just a smoky smell, to aggravating asthma symptoms, to even a lethal accumulation of carbon monoxide. If your chimney has leaks, carbon monoxide and smoke can drift back into your house. Extreme heat and flames can potentially reach the flammable areas surrounding the chimney and cause a house fire.
There are a couple things you can do for this. You should have a chimney liner installed if you don't already have one. Be sure to have your chimney liner cleaned and inspected on a regular basis by a professional, probably annually. This professional can tell you if they spot any structural problems that need to be corrected in order to keep your system safe. If the inside walls of your flue are cracked or have missing mortar, bricks, or tiles, they may recommend installing a flexible chimney liner. This will make your chimney safer and will probably improve your fireplace draft.
Performance
That brings us to our next point. If your chimney is not efficiently removing smoke and combustion gases from your house, you are not getting optimum efficiency from your chimney system. Remember, your chimney is more than just a hole out of the top of your roof.
If you notice a cold draft from your fireplace on days when you don’t have a fire burning, you probably need to close your damper. Sometimes dampers leak even when closed. It may be leaking, meaning you are losing heat out of your house through your fireplace when you are not burning a fire in it. If this is the case for you, you can install a chimney damper. This seals the top of your flue with an indoor operated cap to improve your home’s energy efficiency.
No matter what you need, you can order it online from Fireside Chimney!