The arrival of spring in the United States brings warmer temperatures and milder weather conditions. You might be using your fireplace less frequently and feel ready to leave it until cold weather returns at the end of the year.

However, you should complete maintenance on your chimney and fireplace before you wrap up the season. You can consult with local chimney experts to ensure your fireplace is in good shape at the end of its peak period. Advanced Chimney Sweeps, a team of chimney professionals serving customers in Atlanta, GA, describe three ways that you can prepare your fireplace for spring.

Clean Your Fireplace

When you burn wood in your fireplace, you will notice ash and soot left behind. If you allow this ash to accumulate, you create a risk of the ash being disrupted by a breeze and blowing into your home. This could make a mess and will leave your hearth looking unappealing.

Remnants of ash could also lower the air quality in your home. You can keep your house feeling and looking fresh by cleaning or sweeping up stray soot and ash after each time you light a fire, but especially at the conclusion of fireplace season.

Properly Close Your Damper

The damper refers to a fixture at the top of a chimney that can open and close, allowing you to prevent air from blowing down your flue when your fireplace is not in use. You should ensure the damper is open when a fire is lit, not closing it until embers have completely died out, in order to let smoke escape properly through your chimney.

Closing your damper when you are no longer using your fireplace can help you regulate the temperature of your home and therefore make your space more energy-efficient. You can also prevent critters from entering and building nests in your chimney during the off-season this way.

The process of closing your damper will depend on your unique fireplace. In the fireplace, you will find a handle of some kind that can shut the fixture.

Schedule a Chimney Inspection

The end of fireplace season is an ideal time to schedule a chimney inspection with your local chimney sweeps. These professionals often have more availability in off-peak periods.

A chimney sweep can clean your chimney of the year’s creosote build-up, ensuring the flue is clear and safe to use. They will spot cracks or other potential structural concerns during an inspection that you can fix with plenty of time before the next fireplace season.

Keep Your Chimney Clean in Atlanta, GA

Advanced Chimney Sweeps offers cleaning, inspecting, and repair services for fireplaces and chimneys throughout the greater Atlanta, GA area. Our professionals can determine potential structural concerns that will lead to fire and smoke safety hazards and provide optimal assistance. To get a quote for your chimney job at no cost to you, contact our staff by phone at 770.884.6475 or reach our office online.