Understanding Factors Leading to a Chimney Fire in Dallas

1/16/2017 (Permalink)

SERVPRO Says Keep the Chimney Clean in Your Dallas Home to Prevent Fire Damage

Trust SERVPRO to Inspect and Prevent Fire Damage

They add architectural interest to your home, but the real function of your chimney and the flue that lines it is to channel dangerous exhaust gasses from your wood stove, fireplace or furnace out of your home. A chimney enables the air in your home to stay breathable, just like windows and vents in your attic, bathroom, and the kitchen. Unlike other exhaust points in your home, wood stove and fireplace chimneys need special care to keep them working properly and prevent a fire.

As you sit in front of your wood stove or chimney in Dallas, enjoying the warmth, it is unlikely you are thinking about its condition. If you do not give some thought to it before lighting fires against the cold weather, however, your dirty chimney could cause a fire damaging your home. If a fire does occur, you will need professional help from SERVPRO, a trained fire damage restoration company.

A chimney fire can be quite massive. Indications of a fire can include a hot, intense smell, loud popping and cracking noises, and a lot of dense smoke. These fires can burn explosively with a lot of noise. They can often be dramatic enough for people passing by or neighbors to notice them. Dense smoke or flames can shoot out from the top of the chimney. Homeowners have reported being startled by a low rumbling sound much like a low flying plane or freight train. Many of these fires, however, go undetected.

Chimney fires which are slow-burning don’t have the air or fuel to be visible or dramatic, and many times go unnoticed until an inspection. However, the temperatures can get very high and cause as much damage to the structure and possessions of your home, as the more striking fires. A chimney not exhausting the heat, smoke, and gasses properly can endanger a home, so you need to have your chimney regularly inspected by a certified chimney sweep.

SERVPRO technicians are certified in HVAC cleaning and maintenance. Our technicians can check and clean duct work, flues, dampeners, and chimney caps to reduce the risk of a chimney flareup. Incomplete combustion can lead to carbon monoxide which is a lethal gas because it stealthly prohibits the body from absorbing oxygen. Signs that we look for include collapsed or cracked flue tiles, or chunks missing. Indicators of a problem can be honeycombed or puffy creosote, discolored or distorted rain cap, a warped metal of the damper, factory-built metal chimney or metal smoke chamber connector. Other elements suggesting a fire hazard can be cracks in exterior masonry, creosote pieces and flakes on ground or roof, TV antenna damaged by heat and evidence of smoke which escaped through mortar joints of tile liners or masonry.

If your home does suffer from a chimney fire, you will need our professional staff at SERVPRO to clean up and repair any damages. SERVPRO of Southeast Dallas County is available anytime you need us. Just give us a call at (972) 227-0800 so we can come out right away and get your home back to normal, "Like it never even happened."