September is the time of year when everyone enjoys the refreshing chill in the air and the beautiful leaves changing. This weather is especially magical on the east coast, and it’s easy to get wrapped up in fall. You may be ready to fire up your gas or oil fire appliance to warm up and to bring that special bit of ambiance into your home. It’s tempting, but even your gas and oil flues need to be serviced before the first fire of the season. 
Why Schedule an Inspection?
It’s important to schedule a chimney inspection every 12 months in order to maintain safety and efficiency of the system. A standard inspection assesses the basic soundness of the structure, proper connections, appliance installation, and checks for obstructions and combustibles. A level two inspection is necessary if your system has changed or the way your use it has changed. It’s also required before the sale or transfer of property and if the chimney might have been affected by strong winds, fire, or earthquake. Your chimney sweep will schedule a level three inspection if a hazard is suspected. These inspections are necessary for safety and required by many municipal codes and homeowners insurance and organizations. It’s not enough to just have wood-fired chimneys inspected. Oil and gas flues need inspections too.
Your Oil Flue
During winter, especially in climates such as ours, oil-fired appliances have long running cycles. While the fire is burning, oil soot rises up the flue and sticks to the sides of flue. This substance will eventually fall back down the flue and sometimes even fall onto the oil-fired appliance. This can lead to a build-up that obstructs proper airflow and leads to a drop in efficiency and carbon monoxide and smoke exposure. This is dangerous for those living in the home and can affect the heat output of your appliance, wasting resources.
Your oil burner technician may service your appliance and shovel deposits from the appliance itself, but only a certified chimney professional can inspect and clean your flue. Even if you had your oil appliance serviced last week, your flue needs attention this week, BEFORE you light a fire.
Your Gas Flue
Gas appliances are growing in popularity nationwide due to their convenience and low maintenance, but it’s important that gas appliances get annual attention just like every other fire appliance. In fact, it’s quite important to have your gas flue inspected and cleaned, because as gas burns, it produces water vapors that can cause all kinds of problems if it isn’t cleaned away. As the deposits of soot and water vapor mix, efficiency in the flue will drop and condensation will affect your home, sometimes damaging wallpaper, blistering paint, and more.
Clean Sweeps and Thorough Inspections
When you schedule an inspection with Billy Sweet Chimney Sweep our expert technicians will assess your flue from top to bottom, and a sweep is included with every inspection, so your flue will also be thoroughly cleaned.
Don’t hesitate to call today and have your system inspected before the first fire of the season. Call 617-469-4528 today.