Maintaining Your Home's Fireplace - North Twin Builders

As a quality home builder, North Twin Builders understands that maintenance is key to the health and longevity of your Northwoods home. We don’t just care about the building of your home – we want to help you enjoy it for decades to come.

One key area of home maintenance that is often overlooked is the fireplace. Neglecting your fireplace can reduce its lifespan and threaten the safety of your home and family. Beyond the potential for a chimney fire, this is a major component of indoor air quality and the integrity of the building structure. Let’s explore the components of your fireplace from the bottom up and the care that each part needs to perform safely as a whole.

The Ground Floor of Fireplaces

The part of your fireplace that you are likely most familiar with is the firebox. This is where you are laying fires on those chilly autumn evening and gathering around as a family on those long winter days. The maintenance at the ground level is the easiest, and something that most homeowners can accomplish on their own.

Keeping your firebox clean involves the metal grate that you lay the fire on, the mesh screen or glass enclosure that contains the flames, and the damper that controls the fire. Ash should be removed after each use, but not completely. It’s recommended that you leave about one inch of ash under the grate to protect the fireplace floor. Too much ash can cause the grate to deteriorate. Be aware of the type of wood that you are burning, as well. Hardwoods are safest and produce less ash, while green, softwood and pine burns too hot for the health of your fireplace.

The screen or glass enclosure should be cleaned of soot routinely with warm water and vinegar. Don’t use cleaning products, as these are usually flammable. Be sure to check that the damper is working properly and is rust-free. Wipe it down regularly to prevent rusting.

At the end of the season, all ash should be removed and the grate hosed off. If you skip this maintenance step, moisture can collect in the ash and cause rust or unhealthy air quality. The walls of the firebox should also be scrubbed clean with a hard-bristled brush to remove soot buildup.

The Hidden Passage

The middle man between the firebox and your roof is the flue of your fireplace. The flue moves the smoke of the fire up safely through your home, allowing it to escape through the chimney. This is dirty job to perform, and flues are easy to ignore as we don’t typically look inside the workings of a fireplace.

The accumulation of creosote in the flue is a potential threat to a home’s safety. Creosote is the tar-like substance that is left behind from unburned gasses. It could be black or brown in appearance, and can build up faster depending on air flow, cooler than normal chimney temperatures and burning the wrong kind of wood. Also, burning too many logs at once is a factor.

Although most homeowners leave this area to the professional chimney sweeps, you need to still be aware. A complete cleaning should occur at least once a year, and you want to make sure that the chimney sweep inspects the flue liner for cracks as well as cleans thoroughly.

Chimney Maintenance

Finally, your fireplace chimney is perhaps the most important component and routine inspection is a must. The masonry of the chimney can deteriorate over time, especially considering its exposure to water and moisture. And in the colder months, if moisture is allowed to collect, that water can freeze and expand and threaten the integrity of the structure.

You want to be certain the chimney is secure on the roof, with proper flashing sealing it to the roofing material to prevent water leaks. A waterproofing agent should be applied to the entire chimney. And the chimney cap should be a high quality cover. The cap’s mesh sides allow smoke out, while the cap keeps animals, leaves, and other debris from entering the chimney. The cap also keeps sparks from flying out.

If the chimney cap show signs of deterioration or rust, it should be replaced right away. The mesh siding needs to be kept clean or smoke will be forced back into your home. If a hired chimney sweep does not go up on the roof of your home to inspect and clean the chimney, they have not done the job properly!

Schedule a Chimney Cleaning Every Year!

Don’t risk a chimney fire or structure damage by forgetting to schedule a chimney and fireplace cleaning every year. A professional inspection should include the masonry, the flue and liner, chimney cap and venting and will cost you around $200. This routine maintenance and a bit of care on your part will keep your home safe and your fireplace operating properly.

But don’t forget – the safety of your fireplace, like that of your custom home, is only as good as the quality of the building and installation. A poorly constructed fireplace is just asking for problems. Always make sure to choose professionals that pay attention to every detail, like North Twin Builders. Ready to choose a builder for your new custom home? Give North Twin Builders a call today and discover how our quality makes the difference!

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