Winter is just around the corner which means that there is a lot of preparation required to make your home ready for cold weather. After you’re done insulating your pipes and shutting down water valves to the outside of the house, servicing your HVAC, cleaning your gutters, and touching up your attic’s insulation, your fireplace also needs some attention. Whether it’s an active fireplace, show fireplace, or a gas unit, all types of fireplaces need to be serviced and inspected yearly. This quick guide will show you how to maintain your fireplace so that you can keep this part of your home functional and attractive.
Clean Your Fireplace
If your fireplace is dirty from last year’s soot, your first task is to clean it out with a brush and soft cloth. First, sweep away all the old coals and ash and wipe everything down with a fireplace-friendly cleaner. When your fireplace is clean, it’s easier to spot any obvious defects like cracks. You can also check to see if your flue opens and closes fully.
To get your fireplace fully cleaned, get a professional Chimney Sweep to come to your house. These pros don’t just make your fireplace spic and span, but they remove dangerous creosote that can cause chimney fires. Chimney pros are also experts at identifying the finer details about your fireplace and can suggest remedies so you can light your fire safely this winter.
Check The Exterior Components
Fireplaces are complicated systems that are composed of internal and external components. While a professional chimney sweeper will take care of the internal parts such as the flue and smoke chamber, there are other parts that require careful attention outside of the house. The chimney cap and flashing around it are vital roofing components that keep water out of your chimney.
Also, the area where the chimney meets the roof needs to be regularly inspected to make sure that the shingles or flashing is in good shape. Chimneys should also be checked to make sure their vents are intact without any holes where wasps and other bugs can sneak in during the warmer months. These breaches make it easy for wasps and bees to enter the chimney to nest and remain dormant throughout the winter — which leads to some surprise queen wasps in your home during the spring!
Get A Roofing Inspection
To make sure your chimney is in good shape, you need the help of a chimney professional and Roofing expert. Prep your home for the winter by scheduling a roof inspection and chimney sweep around the same time. This helps you find out about any problems before they becomes a big and expensive issues. Inspections can also pinpoint small issues with your roof so that you can do small and affordable repairs instead of a full replacement. Noble Roofing is here to assist you with all your roofing repair and inspection needs. Schedule your inspection today so that you have peace of mind during the holidays.
Trust Your Roof Replacement to Noble Roofing
Whether you’re looking for better form or function, or simply feel that a new roof is in order, trust Noble Roofing, the preferred choice for roof replacement in Centreville VA and surrounding cities. Give us a call at (703) 404-0505 to speak with our roofing experts. You can also request a free estimate through our online request form today.
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