Chimney Fires: Destruction you can Prevent!

This week, we're moving towards the heating season again here in New Jersey and New York, so it's a good time to pay attention to that chimney.  There's still some time left to enjoy the last bits of summer before diving into the fall.  So we decided that this would be a good time to point out something that's probably not been on your mind.  Your home plays host to a fire, every single year - especially if you have a fireplace in your home (or more than one).  It is the ultimate statement of man's authority over Nature - that we can tame her most destructive force and bend it to our will.
 

Unfortunately, like all wild things, fire sometimes strikes back - and when it does, that means danger to your family and (potentially) destruction to your home.  The image to the right is one that no homeowner ever wants to dream of - let alone really see - and that one, thanks to the brave fireman standing beside it (and his crew, obviously out-of-frame), is a (relatively) small fire.  There is no question that chimney fires are extremely dangerous.  The Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) states that in 2007 alone, there were 27,200 chimney-related fires and in those, 20 people died (there are no available reports on injuries).  Those are 20 lives lost that could have - and more importantly, should have been prevented by a simple annual chimney sweep.  There are no statistics on injuries due to chimney fires.


Your local chimney contractor understands these dangers, and the necessity of having a clean chimney.  A clean chimney is the only kind of safe chimney.  While sites like eHow will tell you how to put out a small chimney fire, even they state two very telling things: 

1. An uncontrollable chimney fire is scary and may be disastrous to your home or even life threatening for your family. Taking the proper precautions and steps to extinguish a chimney fire is vital. (emphasis added)
2.The best way to prevent a chimney fire is to have the chimney's soot cleaned out frequently by a chimney sweep and have the fireplace checked prior to and during the months of use. (emphasis added)

Call your local chimney contractor today to schedule a chimney estimate for a sweep - If you live anywhere in New Jersey, or in Westchester or Orange Counties in NY, that's Dream Team.

Now, you may be wondering what a trained chimney sweep is looking for in your chimney.  Here's just a very short list of the most dangerous items:

• "Puffy" creosote, with rainbow colored streaks, that has expanded beyond creosote's normal form
• Warped metal of the damper, metal smoke chamber, connector pipe or factory-built metal chimney
• Cracked or collapsed flue tiles, or tiles with large chunks missing
• Discolored and distorted rain cap
• Creosote flakes and pieces found on the roof or ground
• Roofing material damaged from hot creosote
• Cracks in exterior masonry
• Evidence of smoke escaping through mortar joints of masonry or tile liners

Creosote is the residue left after a fire.  Especially common with fireplaces, it often gets left on the inside walls of the chimney flue in a flaky gray ash.  When it becomes puffy, it also becomes extremely flammable - indicating that extreme danger is imminent.  If you have either cracked flue tiles, or smoke escaping, it's very likely you need a chimney liner - which I will discuss at some later time.  A rain cap is simple to fix - but if it, or your damper, is either discolored or distorted due to heat, there is no question but that you have a problem.

In short, there are many warning signs to prevent this danger to your home.  It's a quick and easy process to keep your home and family safe.

Why not call today?