9 Signs Your Chimney Needs an Inspection

Your fireplace can be a wonderful addition to your home. But if it’s not maintained properly, it can become a source of danger to your home and family. An improperly maintained chimney can lead to a fire that starts inside your chimney, causing damage to your home and belongings – and, possibly, even injuries or death to you and your family members.

Here are some signs that you need to schedule a chimney inspection with a professional chimney sweep, like those at T.J.’s Chimney Service in Greenfield, Ind. – regardless of how often you use your chimney:

1. You notice smoke flooding into your home when you light a fire in your fireplace.
2. A layer of soot has built up on your furnishings.
3. Dark smoke is constantly flowing from your chimney – a sign of creosote issues.
4. You hear chirping or animal noises coming from your flue. Or, you can see debris used for nest making, such as twigs, grass, etc., in your fireplace.
5. You smell a foul odor coming from your fireplace.
6. You’ve had a fire in your chimney. A chimney fire can melt mortar, crack tiles, cause liners to collapse, warp metal flues, and damage the outside masonry materials.
7. Your chimney has sustained storm or wind damage, such as cracks in the chimney, brick pieces or full bricks have come loose, damage to chimney caps, or metal chimneys have warped, buckled or become detached.
8. You notice cracks in the masonry or mold accumulation, especially following winter.
9. You’ve moved into a new home that has a chimney. Unless the previous homeowner indicated when they last had the chimney inspected, it’s a good idea to schedule an inspection to check for chimney issues yourself.

If you see any of these signs or it’s been a year since your last chimney inspection, call T.J.’s Chimney Service at 317-455-5310 to schedule your chimney inspection appointment. An inspection typically takes less than 2 hours. Our chimney professionals will thoroughly examine your chimney and fireplace – giving you peace of mind that your home and family will be safe the next time you light a fire.