Excellent Tips To Make Your Fireplace And Chimney Winter-Ready

Winter is coming. While you don’t have to worry about the night-walkers (any GoT fans here?), you do have to worry about your and your family’s well-being. As a result of this, the first thing you have to do to ensure your family’s safety from the bitter and harsh winter is making the fireplace and chimney winter-ready.

Now, it goes without saying how important the fireplaces and chimneys are in a home situated in a cold area. It is a great way to keep the house warm and comfortable without having to bother about spending too much electricity. So, before the winter ushers itself in its full might, follow these great tips to make your fireplace and chimney winter-ready:

1. Sweep the chimney properly

According to the guidelines furnished by the National Fire Protection Association, a chimney must be swept thoroughly at least once every year to ensure its smooth operation without inviting any hazards. The dangerous debris and soot, if not cleared, may pose a great fire threat to the house. However, all you need in a proper sweeping to clear this mess and the probability of danger.

2. Note the abnormalities while checking for damages

While you or a professional sweep the chimney, ensure that you note any abnormalities that might be there. It can be even something as trifle as an odd smell that should not be emitting from the chimney or fireplace. Also, if you find any loose bricks or mortars or any further damage to your chimney or fireplace – especially if they are old – make sure you note them down, too, and repair immediately.

3. Inspect the gasket material and damper

Gaskets are very important parts of chimneys, which when it does not work properly, may supply more oxygen to the fire than needed, resulting in overheating and even hazardous fire. After completing the same, you should go on to check the damper – which is essentially a valve inside the chimney regulating airflow. If you want to ensure a safe warmth inside your entire home, this step is indispensable.

4. Clean the bowler

If you have a fireplace with a bowler, make sure it is adequately cleaned. The fireplaces generally don’t have any filtered bowler so the accumulation of soot and other debris is common. So, clean up your bowler to ensure it does not have any buildup before the commencement of the winters.

5. Cap your chimney

Capping the chimney is again extremely important for you don’t want any birds, squirrel, rain and even now entering your home through it. So, check and clean the cap. If your chimney as a faulty cap or the cap is missing in its entirety, now is the right time to repair or replace it.

6. Check your smoke detectors

Keep your smoke detectors properly checked, with batteries intact and the alarm in running condition. These smoke detectors help you identify carbon monoxide and other hazardous gas emissions. So, taking care of the smoke detectors and alarms must feature in your priority list.