Is Your Chimney Ready for Santa? A Last-Minute Safety Checklist
As the song says, “It’s starting to look a lot like Christmas,” and if you are expecting a visit from the man with all the toys, then you want to make sure your chimney is in impeccable shape. Heaven forbid that your chimney is in such bad shape that the jolly old elf can’t get down. With that in mind, here is a guide: Is your chimney ready for Santa? The last-minute safety checklist below will ensure everything is in order. Read on to find out more.
Ensure Your Chimney and Fireplace Are Swept and Inspected Before Christmas Eve
If you want to ensure Santa’s suit stays red and isn’t black after coming down your chimney, your chimney and fireplace must be inspected and cleaned by a reputable chimney sweep service. Why should you have your chimney serviced before Christmas Eve (or anytime of the year)? Every time you burn logs in your fireplace, a highly flammable material known as creosote builds on the inside of your chimney. If left unchecked, creosote will accumulate and become a clear chimney fire threat.
Other unforeseen problems Santa could encounter include a chimney blockage. Birds, squirrels, and raccoons are just like you and me; they want to stay warm in the winter. Your chimney may be too great a temptation to forgo for your neighborhood critters. It offers a warm and inviting environment where they can build a nest to stay warm and block your chimney. There are also blockage threats, such as clumps of leaves, pine needles, or trash.
When a blockage occurs in a chimney, it prevents deadly gases such as carbon monoxide from venting. If toxic gases accumulate in your home, then it could make you and your family sick, or worse.
Is Your Chimney Strong Enough for Santa?
When chimney sweeps perform an inspection, they may discover architectural issues that pose a threat to your chimney’s structural integrity. They will address them before they become dangerous. Some of the significant issues that occur to your chimney are ablation from sunlight, wind, ice, and snow; or if it needs a chimney cap (don’t worry, it won’t slow down Santa), or your current cap hasn’t been maintained, it could let moisture into your chimney and damage the liner.
Damage from the aforementioned weathering can cause cracks, loose bricks, or an eventual collapse of your chimney. If your chimney is deteriorated, old Chris Kringle will have a tough time delivering gifts.
How Can You Ready Your Fireplace and Chimney for Santa?
Ashes- Santa doesn’t want to land in a pile of soot when he comes down the chimney. Ensure ashes are cleared from your firebox. Wait 24 hours after your fireplace’s last use, then remove the ashes. Hot embers may still be present under the ash; so be very careful. Blistered hands are not the best way to celebrate the Holidays. Use a metal pan and a shovel or a shop-vac to gather all the ashes. Clearing ashes from your fireplace is also a good practice for the rest of the New Year.
In Conclusion
If you want Santa to have an uneventful and smooth visit to your house, make sure your chimney is ready. He can spend a moment eating the cookies and drinking the milk you left for him, instead of dusting himself off.
Chimney Sweeps Incorporated Can Have Your Chimney Ready for Santa
Let our qualified and experienced chimney sweeps inspect and sweep your chimney before Santa comes sliding down. We will make sure no creosote is left in your chimney and that no clump of debris blocks Saint Nick’s path. So, please don’t put off getting your chimney serviced; contact us today.
