If you heat with gas, does it eliminate the need for preventive maintenance? No. Although gas is a relatively clean-burning fuel, it still produces residues and other byproducts of combustion, just as burning wood does. Maintenance is still required. Should your chimney be inspected, too? By all means.
As chimney and fireplace (and combustion) experts, Old Smokey’s Fireplace & Chimney can recognize the telltale signs of needed maintenance for your gas-heated fireplace and its venting system.
Proper exhaust venting is key. Even though natural-gas-burning appliances typically do not produce a lot of visible soot, they can in fact leave deposits in your chimney. And these deposits can, over time, harm your chimney and its liner and brickwork. The solution? Have your venting system and chimney inspected by one of Old Smokey’s Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) professionals. Even the use of a gas log or gas fireplace calls for maintenance consisting of — at the very least — an inspection of your chimney system to discover any hidden problems.
Incomplete combustion is one of the potential problems with a fireplace that uses gas logs or another source of natural gas as a fuel. If condensation results, it can have a corrosive effect on your flue and chimney. Nobody wants an acidic material eating away at the mortar and brick of your chimney from the inside.
According to the CSIA, these symptoms could point to a venting system problem:
- Damp patches on interior walls or exterior walls
- Peeling wallpaper
- Blistered paint
- Stains on the ceiling around the chimney
- White stains on the outside of the masonry chimney
- Eroded mortar joints
- Crumbling bricks
Have one of Old Smokey’s chimney sweeps perform routine maintenance to determine the extent of any of these symptoms. You don’t want debris blocking your flue, potentially exposing the occupants of your home to carbon monoxide and other dangerous combustion byproducts. Nor do you want any other potential problem lurking unseen.
By calling Old Smokey’s, you can have your chimney/venting system evaluated by a competent Certified Chimney Sweep. If a problem is found, we can devise effective solutions for your natural-gas-fueled system.
We are proud that our technicians are certified by the CSIA. For more than 20 years now, Old Smokey’s has been proudly serving homeowners in northern Indiana, northern Ohio and mid-Michigan. Folks from Elkhart in the west to Ypsilanti in the east, from Lansing in the north to Defiance and Fort Wayne in the south know Old Smokey’s.
Call us at 260-424-0009 or 800-876-6539 or click here now to schedule an appointment. Just remember: even though gas logs and fireplaces fueled by natural gas are a reasonably clean alternative, they are still performing combustion. And combustion still demands periodic maintenance such as chimney sweeping and other cleanups.