The fireplace makes your home a welcoming place for your family and guests. For the wood fireplace to function well, it needs an efficient chimney. Most homes have excellent quality chimneys, and it is the homeowner's responsibility to maintain them in perfect condition. Here are some of the reasons why you should have someone clean your chimney often. 

To Keep Away the Chimney Fires

The unattended chimney often develops two complications, dry soot, and creosote. The dry soot is the dark substance that gathers on the walls or sides of the chute and is easy to brush off. On the other hand, the creosote is thick and resembles a black paste. Both increase the risk of the home catching fire and burning down. However, even the smallest amount of creosote increases the likelihood of your home catching fire. It is advisable to have the chimney cleaned often to remove these substances because they can damage your home. 

Prevent Gas Poisoning

Gas poisoning is another possible issue that may arise when you do not properly maintain your chimney. Carbon monoxide does not have a distinctive color, and it also doesn't smell. Therefore, it can leak into the house and spread throughout, causing nausea, headaches, and eventually poisoning. Some cases of carbon monoxide poisoning are fatal. 

When your chimney starts filling up with soot, the passage for the gases produced after combustion gets blocked. Gases like carbon monoxide, which are by-products of incomplete combustion, flow back into the home instead of leaving through the chimney. Cleaning the chute restores the airflow and ensures proper combustion happens. It also helps eliminate harmful gases. Another related benefit is that cleaning keeps smoke going in the right direction, which prevents the home from filling up. 

Improve the Heating Efficiency

The heating efficiency of your chimney depends on the amount of air circulating in the combustion area. If air movement gets blocked, the wood will not get the volume of oxygen needed to heat it. Consequently, it will burn at a fraction of its efficiency, and your home will not have the level of warmth you would like it to have. Cleaning the chimney is an excellent way to reduce the amount of wood you have to burn to keep the home warm. 

Consult with an expert residential chimney cleaning professional to help you clean your chimney. With their help, you can remove all the debris inside the chimney and restore excellent airflow in the home.