Having a fireplace is very beneficial and pleasant. It's an inexpensive way to heat your home while looking and smelling great. Proper maintenance of your fireplace and chimney is essential to ensure that they remain in good condition for many years, and one of the most important aspects of maintenance is chimney sweeping. Health and safety benefits When using a fireplace or wood stove, ash and carbon residue build up in the chimney. No matter how often you use your wood stove or fireplace, you will need to have your chimney swept at some point, as this poses a terrible danger to the health and safety of your home. Dirty chimneys can actually cause flash fires in the home because the residue is highly flammable. Additionally, chimney fires burn hotter than the average house fire and also tend to spread more quickly. Chimneys are more than just vents designed to keep smoke out. They are also intended to vent harmful carbon monoxide from fires. A clogged chimney can easily cause carbon monoxide to build up in the home. Since carbon monoxide is colorless, invisible, tasteless, and odorless, it is incredibly easy to have carbon monoxide buildup in the home without anyone noticing. Save Money Regular chimney sweeps also save you money. If you let your chimney go for extended periods of time without inspection or cleaning, the excessive buildup can actually cause your bill to be much higher than if you did it regularly. Additionally, chimney sweeps check your chimney and fireplace or wood stove for signs of problems and damage that can save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars. How much does a chimney sweep cost? A regular chimney sweep costs between $100 and $300 if there are no additi...... middle of paper ......p an appointment to see if the slope or height of your roof is a problem for them. Necessary repairs or replacement of parts Although some damage is purely cosmetic, some damage or defective parts can make your fireplace or wood stove unsafe to use. You will either need to repair this damage on site during the cleaning process or as soon as possible. Costs to repair damage or replace parts vary greatly depending on the severity of the damage or condition of the part, but the most severe damage and parts can cost well over $1,000. For example, a new chimney cap is a relatively simple part replacement that costs between $100 and $200, but a new chimney liner can cost more than $2,000. If your chimney sweep notices minor damage or a faulty part, it is best to have it repaired immediately to potentially avoid higher repair costs in the future..