Chimney Anatomy 101: Why Keeping Each Component Of Your Chimney Well-Maintained Is Important

Most people know the general purpose of a chimney: to safely let out the smoke from a fireplace or wood-burning stove. However, your chimney is made up of many parts, and each one plays a crucial role in how well your chimney functions. Nobody is expected to know or remember each component—except for the pros, of course, and that's why it's vital to enlist a trusted chimney sweep to help with proper maintenance each and every year.

Every Part Of Your Chimney Serves A Purpose

Here's a quick breakdown of just some of the parts of your chimney:

• The crown cap helps keep rain, debris, and critters from entering your home through the chimney.
• The liner, which can be made from clay, metal, or cast-in-place cement, is what safely carries that smoke outside through the flue, another important component.
• The outside walls are made from brick and mortar, which helps keep everything safely contained within the chimney.

There are plenty of other parts to your chimney beyond the ones listed above, and a professional chimney sweep will be able to help you stay on top of maintenance all throughout the year!

How To Keep Your Entire Chimney In Perfect Working Order

So how exactly do you keep your chimney well-maintained when it seems like such a hands-off area of your home or business? Most people are familiar with maintaining their fireplace or wood-burning stove, but it is vital that the rest of your chimney stays in good shape in order to ensure safe operation. There are a variety of services that are tailored specifically to proper chimney care, and a professional chimney sweep can help you with all of them.

Here are just a few examples of what you can do for your chimney:

• Calling in a professional chimney sweep to clean and inspect your chimney once annually is not only a good idea, but it's also required by many insurance companies. This gets rid of any build-up that can lead to fire hazards or other damage.
• Some chimney liners last longer than others, but they'll all need to be replaced at some point whether it's due to age or damage. Expert chimney relining is always the way to go once it's time!
• For any cracks or damage to your chimney, it's important to get it serviced right away. Many chimney contractors offer both chimney and masonry repair services to help you with both interior and exterior issues.

Ready to give a professional chimney sweep a call to help keep your Ridgewood chimney clean and well-maintained? We're always here to help, so get in touch with our experts at 917-335-4858 today!