The nights are getting cool and there's nothing quite so comforting as having a glowing fire in the fireplace. But before you get that first fire of the season going, you should make sure that your chimney is safe with a cleaning and a video inspection.
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recommends that you have your chimney cleaned and inspected visually, annually to prevent chimney fires and poisonous gases from entering your home. Chimney fires can result from creosote buildup inside the chimney.
Even if you don't have a fireplace, but you use a gas or oil fired furnace, you should arrange for a cleaning and inspection. Visual inspections are good, but chimney video inspections are much more thorough. Small leaks can develop that will allow deadly carbon monoxide gas to enter your home. Carbon monoxide is an invisible and odorless gas that is undetectable without special CO detectors.
Gas and wood fires can produce carbon monoxide, and oil and wood fires can produce carcinogens and soot. You wouldn’t want any of these products entering your home. Chimney video inspections can often spot small cracks in flues and inserts that could provide a pathway to the interior of your home.
The visual inspection, as recommended by the NFPA, only lets the technician see what he can, without using any tools. This means he will only see inside your fireplace up to the interior side of the damper, and down the chimney for about six feet, using a flashlight. Chimney video inspections let him see the inside of your chimney for the entire length, all the way down to the other side of the damper.
Annual cleanings and New Jersey chimney video inspections will ensure the safety of you and your family as you enjoy the warm, cozy comfort of your fireplace or wood stove.
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