Is Your Chimney Ready for Santa? A Last-Minute Safety Checklist

The magic of the holidays is all around us. Let’s imagine Santa on Christmas Eve. Are you proud of your chimney? Will he overlook your house in favor of a cleaner option? Santa can’t get down that chimney if there are remnants of dead animals, twigs, leaves, and other debris. When was the last time you had a chimney sweep come to your door?

Professional chimney inspectors and sweeps, such as those at Fire N’ Stone, suggest that all homes with a fireplace have an annual inspection and chimney sweep. This way, when Santa comes around, he will not pass your house by.

What Is The Benefit Of A Chimney Sweep?

• Remove the obstacles that have been piling up over the stagnant summer. You would be surprised what gets into your chimney, especially when there isn’t a constant fire being burned. Nesting materials are from birds, rodents, snakes, and similar creatures. You will find twigs and leaves that the animals have brought or have just blown in from the breeze.
• Clean the flue. Creosote is a tar-like compound that is disbursed when wood is being burned. It slowly accumulates on the lining of your flue. Creosote is highly flammable and can accumulate quickly, leading to ignition and a chimney fire. Regularly cleaning this creosote out is beneficial for the overall upkeep of your chimney. Don’t be caught by Santa and his elves with a sticky chimney.

Why A Chimney Inspection?

• An inspection will give your chimney a “clean bill of health,” so to speak. The naked eye cannot possibly see into the chimney like a trained chimney inspector. Repairs that go unnoticed will grow into larger, more expensive repairs. Next year, you will be asking Santa for a Fire N’ Stone gift card instead of those skis.
• Fire N’ Stone has the equipment to inspect the inside of your chimney visually. We can identify leaks, masonry damage, and from the outside any issues with caps, crowns, or flashing.

Controlling Your Fire.

If you are expecting Santa to come around, your fire should stay quiet and steady throughout the night. Keeping the smoke at bay. Here is how you can successfully keep the smoke out of Santa’s eyes.

• Air draft is essential. Keeping the chimney clean helps to move the air along.
• When burning, use dry, seasoned wood. Wet wood makes smoke.
• Keep plastic, cardboard, wrapping paper, lighter fluid, and garbage out of the fireplace. These will all make smoke.
• The fireplace damper should always be open when a fire is burning in the firebox. On inspection, your chimney inspector will check this as well.

Well, there you have it. Take the time to complete these tips, and you will be happy and proud to see Santa visit your house this Christmas Eve.

We are a family-owned and operated business in central New Hampshire. We are the experts folks call upon for fireplaces, custom stone, and chimneys. We offer you years of experience in design, sales, installation, and service for all of your chimney, fireplace, and stone needs.