Does having my chimney swept improve the air quality inside my house?
In Fairview, wood heat is a way of life on these wooded lots, and creosote buildup is the leading cause of chimney fires here without a fall sweep. Clear that creosote and you do two things: cut the fire risk, and restore the draft that keeps woodsmoke heading up the chimney instead of back into the room. A sweep is not an air purifier, though.
Wooded lots, woodfires, creosote
Fairview's large, forested lots out the Cane Creek Valley and Garren Creek make wood heat the natural choice, and stoves and inserts see steady, hard use through the season. All that cordwood burning, especially the cooler, smokier fires, lays creosote onto the flue walls, and here creosote is the number-one chimney-fire cause when a fall sweep gets skipped. Beyond the fire risk, a creosote-choked flue drafts poorly, so woodsmoke and combustion gases that should climb out instead spill back into the room. A sweep addresses both the danger and the air at once.
Propane's different job
Fairview is propane country as much as wood country. Many homes off the Charlotte Highway corridor run LP rather than a natural-gas main. Propane gas-log and appliance flues don't produce creosote, but they collect cobwebs, nests, and debris that block draft and, on a sealed vent, create a genuine safety hazard. So the visit differs by fuel: a real creosote sweep for the wood-burners, a debris-and-vent clearing for propane. Both restore the draft that keeps byproducts out of your air.
When to do it
Do it in late summer or early fall, before the wood-burning season, when the creosote is most likely to matter. We're 15 minutes east of the Asheville showroom. And keep expectations right: a sweep clears the chimney and its smoke and odor, not the household's dust or pollen. Call (828) 545-0525.
Fireplace help in Fairview
We install and service fireplaces throughout Fairview and the rest of Buncombe County — just 15 minutes east from our Asheville-area showroom.
Related questions
- Is creosote toxic to breathe or touch?
- Do wood-burning fireplaces pollute the air inside your house?
- Why do I smell smoke in my house when the fireplace isn't even burning?
- Why does my fireplace smell in the summer or when it rains?
- Can an unused fireplace or chimney cause moisture and mold problems in the house?