Have you been putting off your annual fireplace and chimney inspection for the last minute? Getting an annual fireplace and chimney inspection is crucial to the health of your fireplace and 
chimney as well as the safety of your family. At Northeastern Masonry and Chimney, we want to let you know why it is so important to get your chimney inspected and cleaned at least once a year. We also want to give you some tips when it comes to scheduling your appointment with us.
Annual Inspections
Did you know that chimney fires are one of the primary causes of residential house fires annually? In fact, according to the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) there are more than 20,000 residential house fires caused by chimneys annually. A sad fact is that most of these fires could have been prevented. The National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) research states that creosote buildup in chimneys is one of the main contributors to home heating appliance fires. At Northeastern Masonry and Chimney, we can’t stress to you enough the importance of getting your chimney and fireplace inspected at least once a year.
Who should I Hire?
Whenever you schedule an annual chimney inspection, cleaning, or any other type of chimney maintenance, it is important to make sure that the chimney technician you hire is certified by the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA). A CSIA certification means that a technician has been trained and tested on the latest chimney and ventilation maintenance techniques and safety protocols. Our chimney, fireplace, and masonry experts at Northeastern Masonry and Chimney have all gone through rigorous training and testing to gain their CSIA certification. We require this for all of our technicians before we let them work with our clients. We believe this is an important component of supplying our customers with the best customer service possible and assures that our technicians are performing safe, high-quality work.
When to Schedule
There is never a bad time to schedule a chimney inspection, especially if you are overdue for one. However, there are some advantages to scheduling your chimney inspection in the spring and summer, because this is a slower time of year for a chimney cleaning service provider, meaning you can easily schedule an appointment time that works best for your busy schedule. This also gives you plenty of time to fix any issues that are discovered during the initial inspection before you start to use your chimney in the winter. However, if you haven’t had a chimney inspection in the past year, it’s important to have it inspected before you start your fireplace up for the first time this year.
Your fireplace gets used a lot more once it starts getting colder out, so it makes sense that issues all start to arise in the winter. Because of this, we here at Northeastern Masonry and Chimney get very busy in the wintertime with house calls. This makes sense because there are a lot of things that can happen to your chimney during the spring and summer. This can include anything from debris from trees, storm damage to your chimney cap, or animal nesting in your chimney, to name a few. If you notice issues with airflow, poor fires, or smoke flowing into your home when you start up your fireplace for the first time this year, it is important to contact Northeastern Masonry and Chimney right away. If you have a blockage in your chimney, it could lead to smoke and toxic gases, such as carbon monoxide, entering into your home.
Getting Ready for the Appointment
When it comes time for your appointment, we ask that you remove any fragile or breakable items from the fireplace and surrounding areas beforehand. Also, remove anything of value away from the fireplace mantle if you have one. Although we try to be cautious as we move around your home, it makes us feel more at ease if we can bring our equipment in and set up without worrying about damaging your belongings. In general, we would like to have at least six feet of space to work around your fireplace. This will give us plenty of room to set our tools out and lay down protective floor covering which will help keep your place clean. We also ask that any wood or coal burning appliance to have cooled for at least 24 hours prior to our arrival. If your fireplace is still hot when we arrive, it will be too dangerous for our sweeps to work on and we will have to reschedule.
We still have some spots open for chimney inspections and appliance servicing, so call Northeastern Masonry and Chimney today at 518-767-9315 or schedule an appointment online to have one of our chimney experts inspect or repair your chimney. We look forward to serving you this holiday season!