As I was driving home the other day, I spotted these exhaust stains, as well as signs of the vinyl siding on this home beginning to melt. While I have no idea what's going on inside the home, my guess is that the homeowner converted a gas fireplace into a wood burner without knowing what/if this could cause any damage to the home or put the home at risk for a fire.
This got me thinking about how many fires we respond to at the fire department for fireplace issues. These issues tend to include improper operation of the damper door (this allows the harmful gases to exhaust outside), gas leaks, as well as full on fires which developed from poorly maintained fireplaces.
I like to get my personal fireplace maintained yearly. A chimney sweep typically sticks a camera in the flue to ensure nothing is stuck up there, then they clean the inner walls to scrub any creosote or debris off. Then they finish off by evaluating all my brickwork to ensure no damaged mortar joints/bricks are present.
I have seen a lot of clients who purchase a home and utilize their fireplace without receiving a full chimney/fireplace inspection. Annually there are 25,000 fireplace fires per year. Don't have your house become a statistic. Get your fireplace professionally serviced to help protect your property, your investment, and most importantly- your family.
