Chimney Maintenance: A Simple Yearly Routine

What maintenance actually means

Chimney maintenance is not a package. It is a handful of regular checks and jobs that stop water, soot and age from compounding. Some you can do yourself from the ground. Others need someone on the roof and inside the flue.

The yearly routine

What you can check yourself

• Look at the chimney from the ground with binoculars for missing mortar, cracked crown or a bent cap
• Check the ceiling and walls near the chimney for stains
• Look into the firebox for rust, debris or loose pieces
• Smell the fireplace on a humid day
• Check that the damper moves freely

Please stay off the roof. A chimney is not worth a fall.

What to leave to a professional

• Anything on the roof or at the top of the chimney
• Looking inside the flue
• Removing creosote and soot
• Repairing masonry, crowns, caps and flashing
• Anything involving the liner or smoke chamber

Why it pays off

Water is the main enemy of a chimney. A hairline crack in the crown, a gap at the flashing or a missing mortar joint costs little to fix when found early. Left alone through several freeze and thaw cycles, the same problem can become damaged brick, a rusted damper and a leak inside the house. Maintenance is the cheapest way to avoid that.