Should You Use Some of Your Tax Refund to Get Your Chimney into Shape?

Spring is a good time to schedule chimney repairs, cleaning, and an inspection, and for many of us, it’s also tax refund time. This year, consider spending a little of this “bonus” money to fix your chimney and avoid a big expense if a major chimney problem arises and your insurance company refuses to pay for it.

Fire N’ Stone of Tilton, NH, would like to cover a few key chimney services and why most insurance providers consider them mandatory.

Spend a little now or a lot later

Basic chimney upkeep isn’t expensive. Here are the three primary maintenance activities that will do the most to keep your chimney in great shape.

1. Chimney sweeping

If you have a wood-burning fireplace, creosote will accumulate in your chimney flue. Creosote can be sticky, flaky, puffy, or solid, and every form is highly flammable.

Chimney sweeping uses specialized tools, solvents, and equipment to remove creosote and reduce the chance of a chimney fire. If you wait years between chimney sweeping jobs and a fire happens, insurance companies will likely consider the disaster “expected due to neglect” and refuse to compensate you.

2. Chimney repairs

Timely repair work on a chimney can prevent serious damage in the future. Neglecting repairs when they’re needed can allow problems to progress to the point that the chimney is no longer safe.

Common chimney repairs include:

• Brick replacement
• Tuckpointing to strengthen the mortar between the bricks
• Chimney crown repair or rebuilding
• Chimney cap repair or replacement
• Chimney flashing repair or installation
• Chimney liner repair or relining

Unaddressed problems with these parts of your chimney can pose dangers you don’t want to live around, and your insurance carrier likely won’t want to pay to have them resolved.

3. Chimney inspections

No one has tracked how many lives and homes annual chimney inspections have saved, but the number surely is huge.

A licensed, experienced chimney inspector can see things you can’t. He or she knows how chimneys are built and how they’re supposed to operate. A good inspector has proven solutions for any damage or malfunction issues.

Chimney damage claims

Every homeowner’s insurance policy is different, but most of them contain language to the effect of:

“We’ll cover unexpected chimney damage, but if you don’t schedule professional chimney service and maintenance, we’ll consider certain damages expected, and we won’t pay for them.”

What this boils down to is that if you let your chimney go year after year without proper care, you should expect problems.

Keep your chimney service paperwork

Whether digital or on paper, store your chimney work receipts in a safe place. This documentation is the only proof that you kept up with chimney maintenance and had the work done by licensed professionals.

If you’re proactive about chimney maintenance, you’ll be far less likely to experience “expected” chimney problems and have to fight your insurance company over them.

And should a truly unexpected disaster happen, you’ll have evidence that you did all you could to keep your chimney in shape. Your insurance company will then be happy – okay, maybe not “happy,” but at least willing – to honor your claim.

Help for your chimney

If you’d like to have your chimney properly inspected, cleaned, and repaired this spring, Fire N’ Stone is ready to get to work. Learn more about our services by phone or via our contact form.