Wood burning fireplaces are a great way to keep warm in the winter for a fraction of the cost of natural gas. Not only are they an economical alternative to using your furnace, but they provide a beautiful ambiance to your home when you use it. While many homeowners utilize their wood burning fireplace to supplement furnace use in the cold winter months, many homeowners fail to maintain their fireplaces and chimneys effectively to prevent damage or more serious issues, like home fires. One of the most important factors of fireplace and chimney ownership is properly caring and maintaining them to keep them safe and usable.
Many fireplace and chimney maintenance issues are easy to overlook or miss if you do not have a trained eye to watch out for damage that could potentially do more damage. These can be easily missed and only certified professional chimney sweeps are trained to look for and inspect. Common areas of chimney repair in Worthington, OH include firebox rebuilding or tuckpointing, and chimney relining.
Firebox rebuilding, or tuckpointing, is necessary if any bricks that make up your firebox come loose from the mortar or any of the joints are eroded more than a half an inch. The firebox is where the actual combustion of fuel takes place, so you can expect that it will take a lot of abuse and deal with extremely high temperatures. As a result, it is necessary that regular maintenance takes place and that you are vigilant in ensuring that the firebox is in one piece. Any erosion or cracking can cause further damage, so it’s important that you take care of this chimney repair in Worthington OH as soon as any issues are detected.
Chimney relining is another common chimney repair in Ohio. If a chimney doesn’t currently have a liner, or the existing liner is aging and not performing correctly, it might be time for a new chimney liner. Most chimney liners are constructed of stainless steel or aluminum. The liners are designed to fully contain any and all of the products of the combustion process. These include any moisture, gases and heat. An improperly functioning chimney liner calls for immediate chimney repair in Worthington OH.
