Unless you’re a chimney contractor with years of experience with nearly every potential chimney problem, it's very likely that you may overlook a serious issue while cleaning or repairing your chimney on your own. When you opt to hire a professional, you’re instead putting your home and family’s safety in the hands of someone with years of expert experience —someone who can look at a chimney and notice potential issues immediately. Once discovered, your chimney contractor can recommend a fix, and you’ll save money by fixing it now as opposed to letting it worsen and wreak havoc on your Cincinnati home. Some common fireplace issues your contractor may find and repair include: 

• Problems with bricks, motor, damper system, or flue
• Weather wear
• Obstructions and pests
• Creosote build-up

Professional cleaning, maintenance, and repairs of common chimney and fireplace issues keep your home safe and encourage many benefits. With regular maintenance, you can expect to enjoy: 

• Fire prevention
• Cleaner air in your home
• Increased efficiency of your fireplace system
• Prolonged chimney lifespan
• Avoid smoke damage within your home

2. Save Time & Money in the Long Run 

Tackling your gas, wood or fireplace maintenance on your own is a sure-fire way to spend days preparing and researching, spend large amounts of money on necessary supplies, and potentially miss or worsen existing issues, making the situation worse in the long run. DIY chimney maintenance runs the risk of causing damage unknowingly, leading to larger, dangerous issues like leaks or build-up that can end up costing thousands in water damage, smoke damage, or structural problems down the line. What was once a simple cleaning or repair job for a fireplace contractor can quickly spiral into a major, expensive, and time-consuming problem through DIY fixes.

Depending on the type of chimney you have, its lifespan may vary from 15-30 years before restoration or rebuilding is required. Depending on the level of care you provide your chimney, it can last much longer, continue adding value to your home, and save you thousands. When you hire a professional contractor to take care of your Cincinnati fireplace and chimney annually, you can rest assured that the job will get done quickly and effectively. Plus, the savings you gain by boosting your chimney’s lifespan could pay for your annual sweeping expenses and a fireplace makeover down the line!

3. Experience & Access to Tools

Think chimney cleaning is as simple as sticking a cleaning brush into your chimney? Think again. No two chimneys are exactly the same, and googling some chimney cleaning tips will not teach you how to properly clean, repair, or inspect your chimney to ensure the safety of your home and family. Fireplace contractors with years of training and personal experience will come prepared with perfected sweeping techniques and tested processes, ready to properly clean your chimney and completely remove hazardous creosote build-up. Chimney cleaning and repair is incredibly involved, and your fireplace contractor in Cincinnati from Choice Chimney Solutions will be equipped with many years of professional experience.

Choosing to DIY is most often about saving money, but when it comes to chimney and fireplace repairs, maintenance, and cleaning, it turns out that the necessary tools and equipment actually defeat that purpose. Professional Cincinnati chimney contractors come prepared with some of the best tools and supplies on the market —tools that are often extremely expensive and require a lot of experience to utilize properly. From top-notch safety equipment like helmets, masks, and ladders, to high-powered, specialized tools and chemicals that remove creosote build-up, these aren’t tools that you can easily get your hands on. So even aside from the numerous safety and health hazards, doing this job yourself is just not worth the hefty price tag of specialized equipment.

4. Eliminate Liability