To keep your home sturdy and running properly, there is ongoing maintenance that you need to do almost every season. If you live in a cold weather climate like Michigan, doing maintenance every year on your chimneys and hardscapes is essential before winter hits.
Cold weather presents many challenges and threats to your home. To keep your home operating safely and efficiently, there are simple steps you need to take with your main systems.
Below, we’ll cover two parts of your home that need particular attention heading into winter — chimneys and hardscapes.
Chimney Maintenance Tips
In the fall, before you ever light up the first fire, there are some basic chimney maintenance steps you should take to ensure it is safe to use and working properly. Here are a few basic tips.
Chimney Inspected
According to the National Fire Protection Association, homeowners should get their chimneys inspected annually. This is to ensure that everything is to par and safe to use.
The best time to get your chimney inspected is before the heating system. This will give you plenty of time to correct issues, if any are found. Plus, chimney inspectors are typically less busy before the season than during it.
Chimney System Overview
It’s important to familiarize yourself with the seven basic parts of your chimney system. This includes the flue, the damper and the ash clean-out door. Knowing what these parts are, how they work and what you can do to clean them will help your chimney run more efficiently and effectively for a longer period of time.
Cleaning and Repairs
Regular cleaning of your chimney is essential to ensure it works properly. Your chimney flue should always be clean and free from any obstruction so that air can flow the way it should. If it doesn’t, harmful chemicals can actually seep into your home instead of up the chimney.
When you clean the flue, you should also check to see if any mortar joints are crumbling and also ensure that the bricks are in good condition.
Waterproofing
Your chimney needs to be waterproof in order to ensure no masonry damage happens during the freeze and thaw cycles. The waterproofing is achieved by making sure chimney caps are present and in good working order, and broken or cracked flashing or masonry is repaired or replaced, a waterproof sealant is applied and a cricket is installed, if necessary, to direct water away from the chimney.
If you have any chimney crown and cap damage, you’ll definitely want to address it.
Advantages of Different Fireplace Types in Winter
Just because you have a chimney doesn’t mean you need to have a traditional wood-burning fireplace. You can opt to have a gas log fireplace, which would give you the look and feel of a traditional fireplace, without the hassle — and mess — of burning wood.
Today, an increasing number of people are turning to gas log fireplaces because they can produce much more heat than wood-burning fireplaces, and they typically cost less.
Gas fireplaces are also safer, since there is no smoke, soot or backdraft. Plus, you don’t need a match to light them.
What’s more, gas log fireplaces are better for your chimney long-term, since they don’t produce the smoke and soot that wood-burning fireplaces do.
Hardscape Maintenance Tips
Just like chimneys, other hardscaping you have on your property should be maintained heading into winter to protect it from the elements. Here are some things you should do in the fall at the latest.
Retaining Wall Check
If you have retaining walls on your property, you want to inspect them for stability and signs of any movement or damage. Look to see if any part of the wall is leaning, which would indicate that the earth is pushing it out. Look for any cracks as well, as they could result in major problems down the line.
When water freezes, it expands, which can make small problems like a little crack much worse in time.
Joint Sanding
Joint sand fills in the gaps between paver joints, ensuring that bricks and pavers are secure and well-aligned. This sand needs to be filled in and topped off at times, to protect the integrity of the hardscape.
The best time to do this is in the spring or fall, when the temperatures are more moderate. Brick repair during winter is not a project that you want to be doing, if you can avoid it.
Preparing Other Chimney Components
Before winter, it’s also important to prepare some components of your chimney to ensure everything is in working order. This includes…
- Fireplace Damper: Check to make sure that the damper is functioning properly so it keeps out cold drafts and prevents heat loss. The damper should easily open and shut, and remain so.
- Grate and Accessories: Your firewood grate needs to be positioned correctly so that the wood sits firmly on top of it. Heading into winter is also a good time to assess whether you need a glass insert or screen door. Not only do these accessories provide additional safety and efficiency, they also add a nice style element.
Practical Winter Home Maintenance Tips
Maintenance doesn’t stop once the winter season has arrived. Instead, the maintenance tasks you need to complete change slight. Some of the things you need to do throughout the winter include …
- Ash Removal: It’s very important to always clean ash dump areas after every use to maintain not only the efficiency of the fireplace but the air quality in your home.
- Safety Checks: You should regularly clean out all openings and ensure that all components of the fireplace are accessible and in good working order.
Professional Help and Services
These are just some of the maintenance tips for chimneys and hardscapes as you head into winter. Staying on top of these maintenance tasks is essential to protect the integrity of the structures and all the people who are living in your home.
While many people could take on some of these chimney repair projects and hardscape projects on their own, there are plenty of others that are best left to professionals.
When the project is just too big for you to handle, or when you aren’t sure what to do, call in the professionals at All Brick. For the last 10 years, we have been mastering the art of masonry, completing chimney, hardscaping and many more projects for customers throughout Southeast Michigan.
We are CSAI Certified by the Chimney Safety Institute of America, so you can trust the work that we do.For more information, please contact us today.
