Summer Chimney Inspections Protect Your Family and Home

Gorton Chimney and fireplace alerts homeowners to the dangers of neglecting their chimneys and not getting regular inspections or cleanings. Dangerous Carbon Monoxide can permeate a home from a malfuntioning chimney. In addition, damage from animals or water leakage can lead to costly repairs.

Lansing, MI (PRWEB) June 16, 2009 -- With summer finally here, homeowners begin to venture outside and assess the toll winter has taken on their home. Everything from the sump pump to the roof may need attention, but they will probably look at their chimney last, or worse, not at all. Unsafe chimneys can cause physical and financial harm to both a homeowner's family and home if not properly inspected each summer.

Like most homeowners, many individuals take for granted the benefits their chimney provides, yet it tends to receive neither the attention nor the concern usually given to other household systems. Many homeowners think their chimneys only need to be cleaned and inspected if they burn wood in their fireplaces or wood stoves. However, chimneys need the same amount of attention whether they are for decoration or for heat.

"If someone owns a fireplace, it is important to have the chimney inspected every one to two years regardless of its use," said Tim Gorton, owner of Gorton Fireplace & Chimney Co. LLC.

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, each year unsafe chimneys cause an average of 90 injuries, 30 deaths, and account for over $126.1 million in property losses to homeowners. Proper fireplace and chimney maintenance are the only ways to prevent fires and others dangers such as chimney fires, carbon monoxide poisoning, water damage, or animal nesting.

"Chimney fires can spread so fast that the fire department often arrives too late to have any impact and often well after the fire has destroyed your home," said Gorton. "Homeowners don't believe that a situation like this could happen to them - but an average of 25,100 chimney fires do happen each year."

Carbon monoxide is generated anywhere fuel is burned, including the fireplace, woodstove or furnace. Normally, these deadly fumes vent safely up the chimney, but if the chimney is not clean or damaged, the fumes may be drawn back into the home. Many homeowners feel that a carbon dioxide detector will warn them once deadly carbon monoxide has already entered the living area, but an annual chimney check can help prevent the fumes from entering in the first place.

In many cases insurance companies do not cover damages caused by the fireplace if they view the situation as a "lack of maintenance". In these scenarios the homeowner is forced to pay for major repairs out of their own pocket.

"A professional inspection can cost a homeowner $75," Gorton said, "but repairing substantial damage after-the-that can cost upwards of thousands of dollars."

Luckily, most chimney problems can be prevented with regular maintenance and proper preventative care. Because chimney inspections and chimney maintenance work cannot be done in the winter, now is the perfect time to have an experienced and licensed chimney service technician look at their chimney.

Remember that clean chimneys don't catch fire and making proper chimney inspections a regular part of annual home maintenance schedule will save in the long run.

"The key is for homeowners to call before there is a problem," says Gorton. "Don't wait until expensive and harmful damage has affected your family or home."

For more information or to see Tim Gorton's work visit http://www.gortonchimney.com.
Gorton Chimney and Fireplace Co., LCC has served South Central Michigan for over 26 years. They have built their reputation based on hard work, honesty and integrity and work hard every day to live up to and maintain that reputation. Gorton Chimney and Fireplace Co., LLC has employed some of the best trained professional chimney service technicians in the industry who take as much pride in their work as you do your home.

Sources:
Tim Gorton, Owner
Gorton Fireplace & Chimney
www.gortonchimney.com
Jerome, MI
(517) 937-8817 or (517) 688-5278

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
4330 East West Highway
Bethesda, MD 20814
(301) 504-7923

Please contact Raquel DeLeon at Press(at)deepblueinsights.com with all public relations concerns.

###