Signs You Need a Mid-Winter Chimney Cleaning or Inspection

Jan 8, 2025

chimney inspection san jose

As winter continues, your chimney becomes the backbone of your home’s warmth and comfort. While an annual cleaning is crucial, mid-winter issues can creep up, compromising safety and efficiency. Don’t wait for these signs to escalate—ensure your chimney is in top condition to keep your home safe and cozy.

1. Lingering Smoke Indoors

If smoke starts backing into your living space instead of escaping through the flue, it’s a clear sign of trouble. This could mean a clogged chimney or excessive creosote buildup, which poses serious fire risks.

Action Tip: Schedule a mid-winter chimney cleaning to address blockages and ensure proper ventilation. Learn more about how we can help on our homepage.

 

2. Unpleasant Odors

A strong smoky or musty smell coming from your fireplace? This could be caused by creosote, trapped moisture, or even animal debris. Ignoring these odors can lead to long-term structural damage.

Solution: Let us clean and inspect your chimney to eliminate odors and protect your home. Get in touch through our contact page.

 

3. Excessive Creosote Buildup

Creosote, a highly flammable byproduct of wood burning, can build up quickly if your fireplace is heavily used during the winter. A thick creosote layer dramatically increases the risk of a chimney fire.

Pro Tip: Regular mid-season cleanings prevent dangerous creosote buildup and enhance fireplace efficiency.

 

4. Soot or Debris Falling Into the Fireplace

If you find chunks of soot or masonry debris in your fireplace, it may indicate chimney liner damage or spalling bricks due to moisture infiltration.

Action Step: Don’t wait for further damage—schedule an inspection to identify and repair the issue. Reach out to our team through our contact page.

 

5. Draft Issues

Is your fireplace struggling to draw air or having trouble staying lit? Poor draft could be a sign of blockages or improper venting, both of which reduce fireplace performance and create safety hazards.

Solution: Our professional chimney cleaning services ensure proper airflow and restore your fireplace’s efficiency.

 

6. Persistent Cold Spots Near the Fireplace

Feeling chilly drafts even when the fire is roaring? This could indicate a damaged chimney cap, liner issues, or blockages that are disrupting the chimney’s airflow.

Tip: A mid-winter inspection can identify these issues and restore your fireplace’s cozy ambiance.

 

Why Mid-Winter Maintenance Matters
Regular maintenance ensures your chimney performs optimally throughout the season. It helps prevent costly repairs, reduces fire risks, and keeps your home warm and safe.

 

Need Professional Help?

We’re here for all your chimney needs. With over 30 years of experience, our team provides trusted, thorough chimney cleaning and inspection services. We also offer clothes dryer duct cleaning to enhance home safety further.

👉 Ready to take the next step? Contact us today to schedule your mid-winter chimney cleaning or inspection.
Stay safe and warm this winter! Visit our homepage for more tips and expert services.

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Smoking back

There are many fireplaces that seem to smoke back into the house no matter what is done. In our experience, the most common cause is that the fireplace simply needs to be cleaned. This is especially likely if the fireplace has gotten worse over time, that is, the smoking back is worse now than it used to be.

Several other possible causes of smoking back are problems with the damper, chimney cap, grate, firewood, or structural problems with the chimney itself. At Chimney Clean Company, we do a full inspection with every cleaning, or we can also do just the inspection if the chimney doesn’t need to be cleaned. This inspection is designed to reveal any causes of smoking back.

Broken chimneys

In the Bay Area, many chimneys were broken in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. Usually, these chimneys are broken at or near the roof line, although sometimes they can be broken further down, even at the ground level.

We are fully licensed masonry contractors. We rebuild broken chimneys. If they are broken at the roof line, this usually entails taking the chimney part of the way down brick by brick, installing steel reinforcing bars, getting an inspection from a city inspector, then rebuilding the chimney back up around the steel rebar.

Missing mortar or damaged bricks

Over time, many chimneys develop places that are missing mortar between bricks, or damaged bricks, either inside the firebox or on the outside of the chimney. These areas can usually be repaired, either by replacing the missing mortar or replacing the bricks themselves. Items such as these can be dangerous because they can allow flames, sparks or hot gases to enter the structure of the house.

Water entry

Sometimes the metal that seals the chimney at the roof, called “flashing”, will come loose or develop leaks. In this case, water sometimes comes into the ceiling of the room and causes water spots and stains on the sheet rock. This flashing should be repaired before the water causes more damage.