Fireplaces are a common feature in residential homes as they keep households warm in winter. If you have a fireplace, you likely enjoy spending quality time with your loved ones around the fire. And as you relish in your fireplace's functionality, it's crucial that you maintain it so it can serve you the future generations for years to come.

Commissioning routine chimney cleaning is the surefire way to address any arising issues that could compromise the functionality of your fireplace. Continue reading to discover three incentives to commission routine chimney cleaning.

Prevent Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Every time you use your fireplace, combustion by-products are deposited along the linings of your chimney. And if you don't clean the smoke vent over an extended period, the deposit build-up narrows the chimney passage, preventing effective dispersion of combustion gasses from the fireplace. As a result, smoke and carbon monoxide might start backing up into your home.

And while it's easy to address smoke backup because of its distinctive choking and irritating effect, you wouldn't know that carbon monoxide is circulating in your indoor spaces because it's invisible and odorless.

Carbon monoxide isn't only undetectable, it is also a very poisonous gas; when inhaled,  it interferes with oxygen circulation throughout the body. To protect your household from carbon monoxide poisoning, it's crucial that you commission routine chimney cleaning to allow combustion gasses to easily escape outside when you're using the fireplace.

Increase Heating Efficiency

Aside from letting toxic combustion fumes escape outside, the chimney also lets in oxygen required to fuel the fire. When your chimney is clean, more oxygen flows down to the fireplace, enabling the wood to burn efficiently. Consequently, your fireplace is able to achieve desired living room warmth after just a few minutes of wood combustion.

However, when there is a heavy layer of build-up in the smoke vent, oxygen flow down to the fireplace is restricted and the wood doesn't burn as thoroughly as it should. You end up going through many logs of wood before your living room can be warm. So, essentially, the cleaner your chimney, the more efficient your fireplace will be.

Avoid Chimney Fires

One of combustion's by-products is creosote, a flammable substance that accumulates along the linings of your chimney. These deposits can easily be ignited by the fire embers that fly into the smoke shoot.

To avoid chimney fires, you should routinely contact your chimney sweep to clean the smoke vent. They'll clear out any creosote build-up to ensure there isn't a potential fire hazard at your residence.

If you have a fireplace, this is your cue to commission routine chimney cleaning.