Off-seasons are great seasons to undertake repairs to anything that is not in use. In spring and summer, that is every system that needs to air out and dry! The “off season” presents some significant opportunities for consumers looking to have their chimney swept. Days are ‘longer’ and some of the certified professionals you need to involve are easier to schedule during their off seasons.
Ultra wide-angle shot of a newly-completed chimney.
Because certified sweeps are specifically trained to comprehend the whole chimney system, their range of expertise is surprisingly broad. This presents an opportunity to have your chimney sweep inspect a variety of areas to see if they need to be addressed. This can actually save a homeowner significant funds in yearly repairs and maintenance.
Early spring is an “off season” for cooling systems and, not surprisingly, rainy months are slower ones for roofing and gutter repairs. Late spring is the right time to make sure your home’s fireplace system is clean and in good repair. In fact, any time in spring is a good time to check everything vulnerable to rain, heat, and critters.
It is also the best time to discover you need repairs, because you have time to do something about it. Summer is perfect for repointing and major repairs to masonry chimneys, which may mean scheduling city inspections well in advance. They will follow the certified sweep’s inspection that the city inspector relies on, so best keep that in mind.
With a little planning and luck, you might be able to coordinate cleanings and inspections for repairs with annually scheduled maintenance. You could have your dryer vent cleaned and checked the same day your fireplace system is inspected. “Off seasons” are more convenient, more practical, and usually more economical for cleanings, maintenance, and repairs to systems that are off.
Properly maintained dryer vents are as crucial to home safety as properly maintained chimneys. When to clean them also depends on a myriad of variables such as amount of use, what is going through them, and other house-specific circumstances. The best advice anyone can offer is to consult a professional about the frequency of safety cleanings given your individual situation.
Important Variables
That said, variables of critical importance are:
length
number of turns and jointed corners
shared venting with other appliances
exterior caps
what you put in the dryer
The last is why spring always brings a reminder from venting professionals to include dryer vents in your seasonal house cleaning. Considerably more bedding is typically put in dryers, along with sweaters being packed away until fall. That means more lint is going into the vent, if it is functioning properly to begin with, and that lint is dangerous.
A Seasonal Reminder
We believe no home owner is unaware at this point that dryer vents are the source of many house fires. You would literally need to live under a rock to remain oblivious to the constant news reports and public service messages in this regard. We also believe that every homeowner has a lot going on in spring and forgetting to clean the dryer vent is completely understandable.
So we remind you now: If you do not have short straight dryer venting — unshared with other appliances — that you can access completely, call a pro. If you do not have an exterior cap on venting you know to be clean and in good condition, cap it.
If your venting does meet those requirements, please exercise care appropriate to the venting material. Flexible aluminum venting is more easily damaged, but even metal vents can sustain damage if cleaned improperly. Remember, too, that more baby animals are looking for a nice hiding place in spring, so do not leave your vents open to the great outdoors.
“Renovating your firebox” is taking on more meaning as the range of decorative choices expands. The insertion of them into the realm of interior decor is also increasing their popularity with homeowners. These days, your fireplace can have the look of a masonry fireplace without the hassles of a chimney. You can also replace the panels of your firebox… or you can undertake the traditional renovation of a masonry fireplace and do some repointing.
As more pre-fabricated units reach the natural ends of their lives, their replacement offers a great opportunity for renovation. Furthermore, with so many options available, even people with masonry fireplaces are choosing inserts for their fireboxes. Some homeowners are realizing that what they love is a warm glow, not a roaring fire and the masonry chimney it requires.
Redecorating with Firebox Renovation
The result of all that is an explosion of ‘firebox renovation’, and manufacturers respond with more and more options. What can sometimes be forgotten in all the ‘redecorating’ is that most of these pre-fab units are “decorative appliances”! Whether it is a plug-in electric fireplace, a vent-less gas fireplace, or an insert, it is not designed or constructed for a roaring fire!
Another important thing to remember about fireplace inserts — to make it a safe renovation — is that proper installation is required. Basically, the firebox has to fit the flue, which is why pre-fabricated fireplaces come with pre-fabricated chimneys. They are designed as a system. They are interdependent, if you will.
That does not mean you cannot put a pre-fabricated fireplace system under a masonry chimney. It just means that much more is involved than plugging in a portable fireplace, and the ‘renovation’ needs inspection. A good idea might be to ask the certified sweep who does your annual chimney inspections how the two can be organized to coincide!
