4 Reasons You May Need Your Chimney Cleaned More Than Usual
The general recommendation is usually to call on a residential chimney cleaning service annually to have your chimney cleaned. However, you may occasionally need to have a chimney cleaned more than that. Here are a few reasons why you may need your chimney cleaned by professionals more than once a year.
You Have a Narrow Chimney
The simplest explanation behind a chimney that needs a residential chimney cleaning service more than usual is your chimney is narrower than most. Likewise, a chimney that is too narrow for the size of the source of the fire can be problematic. For example, if you have a massive fireplace that holds a great deal of wood, you need a chimney with a rather broad opening to accommodate the added smoke.
Your Chimney Is Created From Masonry Stones
Prefabricated chimneys are specifically designed to discourage creosote and soot collection. While well-built stone masonry chimneys can be designed to do the same, some do have more issues with soot accumulation than others. A number of factors can make your stone masonry chimney more prone to clogs, even factors as simple as what type of stones were used for the build. Some stones sort of capture heat, which can cause the chimney itself to be hotter and deter proper airflow when a fireplace or chimney is in use.
You Use Your Chimney More Than Usual
Sometimes, simply using your chimney more than usual can be the single reason behind needing to have the unit cleaned more frequently. As obvious as this issue may seem, the weather can variate pretty drastically in some areas from one year to the next. If you only needed your chimney cleaned once within the year, you could need your chimney cleaned more the following year when there were many periods of freezing temperatures.
You're Burning a Lot of Softwoods
Softwoods can be easy to burn because they burn hot and fast and catch easily. However, a lot of softwood in your fireplace or wood stove can also mean you will need residential chimney cleaning a bit more than usual. Some of the softwoods to watch out for include pine and spruce, but even wood species like cedar and fir can cause problems. When these softwoods burn, they release a lot of creosote, and creosote cakes up inside of your chimney. If you are having problems with chimney clogs more than usual, pay careful attention to what type of wood you've been burning.
