Winterize Your Chimney & Improve Home Energy Efficiency

Warm fires in winter are always a pleasure and by winterizing your chimney, you can also enjoy improved energy efficiency in your home. The amount of heat provided by your fireplace or wood stove largely depends on the operation of your chimney. With a more efficient solid fuel heating appliance, you can enjoy lower winter utility bills. Offsetting the high cost of central heating is always a smart way to save money. The following are some of the ways that you can winterize your chimney and ensure more efficient operation of your heating appliance.

Schedule Annual Chimney Inspections

The most practical approach to winterizing your chimney is to follow the advice of fire safety experts. Every major fire safety organization in the U.S. recommends annual inspections of all chimneys, no matter the fuel type or how infrequently the chimney may be used.

Chimneys are vulnerable to moisture and other major threats, especially the exterior portion of the chimney. The purpose of annual inspections as part of winterizing your chimney is to ensure that undetected damage has not occurred. Unseen problems include moisture intrusion that destroys masonry, blockage in the chimney flue, bird’s nests, and various critters that climb into chimneys, and chimney leaks. Obstructions interfere with a strong chimney draft needed to pull combustion fumes out of the home.

At the start of every cold season, the first fire that thousands of people light in their fireplace sets off a house fire due to a lack of chimney maintenance. An inspection is step one in chimney winterizing. It leads to completing needed repairs and removing obstructions, which then in turn helps in avoiding hazardous situations.

Schedule Chimney Cleaning

Once you start burning wood fires in your fireplace or wood stove, creosote buildup starts happening full force. If you have winterized your chimney, it is likely to operate properly throughout the entire season. An exception would be if you use your fireplace or wood stove as a primary source of heat throughout winter. In that event, chimney cleaning may be needed mid-winter.

The problem with creosote buildup is that the highly flammable material can easily ignite, which can start a hazardous chimney fire. Most persistent chimney fires cause major damage, including destroying the chimney liner. Without the protective aspects of a chimney liner, the home is exposed to a potential fire and occupants can unknowingly be exposed to deadly carbon monoxide fumes.

Install a Chimney Cap

A chimney cap with mesh is the ideal solution to keep debris and animals out of your chimney. Chimney caps also keep winter snow and rain from falling directly into your chimney. Moisture has a destructive effect on a chimney, both inside and out.

If you need a chimney cap installed, an outside-mount custom chimney cap is recommended. In addition to covering the flue pipe, this type of chimney cap also protects the chimney crown and provides added protection to the entire chimney system. Fewer chimney repairs are needed with every measure that helps to prevent moisture intrusion.

A Final Chimney Winterizing Tip

Your chimney damper needs to be in good working condition to ensure that the air heated inside your home by the central heating system does not flow out through the chimney, causing your heating costs to spike. Open the damper before lighting a fire, and keep the damper closed when the fireplace is not in use.

An easy way to test whether your damper is creating a sufficient seal is to close the damper and light a match inside the firebox up toward the damper. If the smoke from the match goes up toward the damper instead of into the room, air is leaking through. Contact your local chimney sweep for chimney damper repair. A faulty damper can be as bad as keeping a window open all winter, allowing heat to escape.

Contact Dubuque Fireplace & Patio

Call on the certified chimney experts at Dubuque Fireplace & Patio for help winterizing your chimney and improving energy efficiency in your home. In and around the Highland, WI, area, call our sister store Chimney Specialists Inc. at (608) 929-4887. In Dubuque IA and the surrounding area, call Dubuque Fireplace & Patio at (563) 582-5156.