Can Snow Get In My Chimney?
01/31/22
Answering Your Chimney & Snow FAQs
During the winter and spring months in Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia, people are often more than happy to begin using their fireplaces to help keep themselves and their families warm and toasty inside their homes. The problem is that the snow outside your home can cause a problem if it makes it inside your chimney. It is important to know what signs to keep an eye out for, and if you see an issue, contact chimney care experts.
How Does Snow Get In Your Chimney?
Chimneys are open-air tunnels that allow smoke out, making them an access point to the outside of your home. While they are necessary to let out smoke, this also means that other things can come into your home, such as snow. However, you can have the pros at Chimney.com install a chimney cap on your chimney, which will only allow smoke to go out while keeping dirt, snow, and animals from coming into your chimney.
Can You Use Your Fireplace When It’s Snowing?
Yes, you can, but you need to be sure to prime the flue of your chimney first if it is particularly cold outside — otherwise, the warm air will not rise and the fire will not burn correctly.
What Kind of Damage Can Snow and Ice Cause to Chimneys?
Snow and ice can actually cause significant damage to your chimney if they are allowed to accumulate for too long. Snow itself, because of how heavy it can get, could bend or warp part of your chimney, so it is important to keep large piles of it away from your chimney.
What can be more difficult to notice, however, is the damage from water that can occur when it melts and damages the masonry. This kind of damage can be hard to identify and costly to repair if left untreated.
How Can You Protect Your Chimney in the Winter?
The best way to protect your chimney is to have it fully inspected and formally winterized by a team of professionals, such as the certified experts at Chimney.com.
Why Choose Chimney.com for All of Your DC, MD, and VA Chimney Care Needs?
Chimney.com has over three decades of experience in servicing chimneys for homeowners throughout DC, Maryland, and Virginia. We proudly only use premium chimney cleaning materials and offer free estimates. For more information on our services, contact us at (301) 989-3300.