Chimney systems should be professionally inspected once a year. If signs of damage or malfunction show up between inspections, a special inspection should be performed. For the basic annual inspection, summer is the best time to schedule it.

Keystone’s Fireplace & Stove of Mechanicsburg, PA, would like to tell you why.

4 Reasons for a Summer Chimney Inspection

A chimney can be inspected at any time of year, but there are four good reasons to have it done during the summer months.

1. The weather is good

Nobody likes to work on a chimney when it’s five degrees outside and the snow’s so heavy you can’t even see your watch to tell what time it is. Chimney professionals will work in any conditions, but everything goes a lot smoother in the summer.

Good weather means safer working conditions for the chimney inspector, who will be spending a lot of his or her time outside the home and up on the roof. Clear visibility will allow for a more accurate assessment of the different parts of the chimney system that will be looked at (see below).

2. The seasons of damaging weather are over

Winter and spring weather can wreak havoc with chimney systems. By summer, most of the worst of that weather is over. And because the cold is also over, you likely won’t be using your fireplace at or around the time your chimney inspector visits.

The summer months are good times to assess any damage the chimney may have suffered during the long, cold burning season.

3. It’s easier to schedule the inspection before fall sets in

People who wait until fall to schedule a chimney inspection sometimes have to wait even longer for the work to get done. This is because chimney crews tend to get very busy in the weeks leading up to the start of winter.

Virtually any chimney company will tell you that many homeowners wait until the last minute for chimney repairs, inspections, and cleanings. This can make it difficult to get any chimney workers out to your house at a time that’s convenient for you.

4. There’s time to do necessary work

By scheduling a chimney inspection in the summer, you’ll have sufficient time to have repairs or rebuilding work done before you start regularly using your fireplace again.

A basic chimney safety inspection covers all readily accessible areas of the chimney system, including:

• Chimney cap, flue cover, chimney chase top
• Chimney crown
• Chimney liner
• Bricks and mortar of the masonry
• Chimney flashing
• Fireplace damper

Damage to these and other components and areas of the system may require something as simple as a component replacement or as complicated as a partial rebuild. Scheduling the inspection in the summer will give you plenty of time to have the work done.

Schedule your next chimney inspection this summer

Anderson’s Chimney Sweeps & Masonry Services is our field division and will send a licensed, experienced chimney inspector to your home in the New Cumberland, PA, area. A thorough inspection will be performed and you’ll review a report of the findings and recommendations.

Schedule your inspection by giving us a call or reaching out through our contact form.