Having a fireplace is very advantageous and pleasant. It's an economical way to heat your home while still looking and smelling great. Proper maintenance of your fireplace and flue is essential to ensure they remain in good condition for many years and one of the most important aspects of maintenance is cleaning your chimney. Health and Safety Benefits When using a fireplace or stove wood, ash and carbon residues accumulate in the fireplace. No matter how often you use your wood stove or fireplace, sooner or later you will have to have your chimney cleaned because it poses a terrible health and safety hazard to your home. Dirty chimneys can actually cause sudden house fires as the residue is highly flammable. Additionally, fireplace fires burn at a higher temperature than a typical house fire and also tend to spread faster. Chimneys are much more than just vents meant to keep smoke out. They are also intended to expel harmful carbon monoxide from fires. A blocked chimney can easily cause carbon monoxide to build up inside your home. Because carbon monoxide is colorless, invisible, tasteless, and odorless, it is incredibly easy for carbon monoxide to build up in your home without anyone noticing. Saving Money Regular chimney sweeps also save you money. If you allow your chimney to sit for extended periods of time without inspection or cleaning, the excess buildup can actually cause your bill to be much higher than it would be if you did it regularly. Additionally, chimney sweeps check your chimney, fireplace or wood stove for signs of problems and damage which 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 addi...... middle of paper ......p an appointment to see if the slope or height of the roof is a problem for them. Necessary Repairs or Part Replacement While some damage is purely cosmetic, some damage or defective parts can make your fireplace or wood stove dangerous to operate. You will need to repair these damages directly during the cleaning process or as soon as possible. The costs of repairing damage or replacing parts vary greatly depending on the severity of the damage or the condition of the part, but the most serious damage and parts can cost well over $1000. For example, a new chimney cap is a replacement of a relatively simple part that costs $100 to $200, but a new chimney liner can cost up to $2000. If your chimney sweep notices spots with minor damage or defective parts, it's best to have it repaired immediately to avoid any major repair bills in the future..