When you’re inspecting a home before buying it, don’t forget to check its chimney.  Make sure that it’s as presentable as it can be for Old Santa to notice next Christmas.  Since you do not know how exactly a good chimney looks like, it would only be smart to hire a professional to check the house’s fireplace.

But of course, the professional inspector can’t be with you forever, so you might as well ask him what to look for in a chimney and how to determine whatever needs a repair.  That way, you will be able to do your own checks and maintenance to keep your unit as good and safe as new.

If you have not talked to a professional chimney inspector yet, we will give you a sneak peak of what he would most likely tell you about chimney monitoring and maintenance:

* Checking Chimney Caps. A cap fitted with wire mesh sides covers the hole at the top of the chimney. It keeps rain, birds, animals, and debris from entering. Replace or repair a cap that is missing or damaged.

* Inspect Masonry Chimneys. Examine the outer mortar between bricks or stone to make sure it is intact. Shine a flashlight down the chimney to look at the mortar inside. If the mortar is crumbling, it must be replaced. Look for cracked tile liners or missing bricks, too.

* Inspect Metal Chimneys. Look for dented or rusted metal and missing screws at joints.

* Watch for Formation of Creosote. Creosote is a flammable substance that is hard, dark, and crustlike. It is produced during incomplete combustion of wood. An accumulation of creosote can cause a dangerous chimney fire, so it must be removed.

How to Deal with Creosote:

You can minimize creosote by burning dry hardwoods, since their lower moisture content promotes more complete burning.

A hot fire produces less creosote than smoldering woods. Increase the air supply if necessary so that wood burns more completely.

* Identifying Soot. Soot is a flammable deposit, dark in color but softer than creosote. Most chimney sweeps recommend cleaning when soot deposits reach 1/8-inch in depth.

* Creosote Glaze. This shiny, tar-like product is flammable, and usually difficult to fully remove.

* Smoke. If there’s smoke in the house, and you’ve eliminated chimney debris, make sure the damper is open. If lots of smoke is coming out the chimney, it means that wood isn’t burning completely.