ARTICLE
Plainfield, IN – August 26, 2011 - Following the earthquake earlier this week, the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) reminds homeowners on the East Coast that the integrity of your chimney may have been affected. An inspection of your chimney by a qualified professional is in order to ensure your post-earthquake home heating safety. Following an earthquake or severe storm, your first concern should be the general condition of the exterior of the chimney and a concern that the chimney may also be so badly damaged or misaligned as to threaten people or property if it falls. If this is the case, immediately contact a chimney service professional and ask that the dangerous section is removed. If you believe that the exterior of your chimney is basically sound, the immediate risk is lessened. However, prior to using your fireplace, woodstove or furnace for the first time this home heating season, the Chimney Safety Institute of America recommends a Level II chimney inspection to ensure that your chimney’s interior has not suffered damage from the earthquake which would allow the escape of heat or hazardous gasses into your living space. Chimney inspections and preventative chimney maintenance is best left to a qualified chimney professional, like a CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep. Find a CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep and learn more about caring for your chimney and home heating system online at www.CSIA.org. CSIA Certified Chimney Sweeps have earned the chimney and venting industry's most respected credential by passing an intensive examination based on fire codes, clearances and standards for the construction and maintenance of chimney and venting systems. They are also well versed in the characteristics of fuels available for home heating such as wood, gas and oil. This knowledge allows them to expertly diagnose and solve chimney and venting problems. The Chimney Safety Institute of America is a non-profit, educational organization dedicated to chimney and venting system safety. CSIA is committed to the elimination of residential chimney fires, carbon monoxide intrusion and other chimney-related hazards that result in the loss of lives and property. To achieve these goals, CSIA devotes its resources to educating the public, chimney and venting professionals and other fire prevention specialists about the prevention and correction of chimney and venting system hazards.