Is Your Chimney Ready for Santa? A Last-Minute Safety Checklist

Is your chimney ready for Santa? As Santa’s elves are busy in the workshop wrapping all of the Christmas presents, it’s essential to ensure Santa can get in and out of your chimney without getting wet or covered in soot. That will stain his famous red suit! Why is this important? Because when your chimney is Santa-ready, it means that your fireplace is ready for the holiday season, too.

Here’s a last-minute safety checklist to make sure your fireplace and chimney are Santa-ready for a cozy winter:

Chimney Inspection

Before you light a fire this season, it is imperative to have a professional inspection. A certified chimney sweep is trained to look for hazards, such as cracked bricks, rusted components, or excessive creosote buildup. These issues will not only prevent Santa from delivering presents but also restrict the venting of smoke and toxic fumes.

Professional Sweeping

Even a small buildup of soot and creosote can ignite a dangerous chimney fire. Hiring a professional chimney sweep removes combustible deposits, small animals, and other debris, ensuring a clean and unobstructed path for smoke and exhaust to escape. Plus, we wouldn’t want Santa to get stuck in the chimney!

Repair Cracks in the Crown

The chimney crown is the concrete slab at the top of your chimney. Repairing and sealing cracks with Evercrown® restores the integrity of the crown, protecting your masonry from water damage, reducing the need for repairs and rebuilding.

Flue Relining

Flue liner damage makes it unsafe for Santa to deliver presents, as it increases the risk of fire and exposure to toxic carbon monoxide (CO) exhaust. When your chimney professional uses Thermocrete®, an easy-to-apply cerfractory coating, you will have a heat-resistant, code-compliant chimney liner that is ready for Santa to deliver presents as your wonderful family sleeps safe and sound.

Smooth the Smoke Chamber

If you live in an older home, your chimney’s smoke chamber likely has stepped or “corbeled” bricks. These jagged edges not only attract highly flammable creosote and soot but could even tear a hole in Santa’s suit! When you have a chimney sweep professional parge the smoke chamber smooth with Smoketite®, it will be ready for Santa, significantly reduce creosote and soot buildup, and improve the draft efficiency of your fireplace.

Waterproof Your Chimney

After making masonry repairs, using Raintite helps prevent future damage from rain, snow, and ice, ensuring your chimney is ready for Santa and your family’s holiday celebrations.

Last-Minute Fireplace Safety Tips

These simple steps help prepare your chimney for a professional inspection and safe use:

• Clear the hearth of any combustible objects (furniture, rugs, toys, etc.)
• Open your damper fully before lighting fires
• Burn only “seasoned” firewood
• Keep a fire extinguisher near the fireplace
• Test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors

Make Your Chimney Santa-Ready with Professional Solutions from Approved Industries

With our complete line of advanced ceramic coatings and professional-grade products, we offer robust solutions to make every part of your chimney ready for Santa and the winter season.

Approved Industries products are available exclusively for use by specially trained chimney and fireplace professionals. To protect your masonry chimney from the harsh effects of winter weather, contact an Approved Industries certified installer near you. Learn more about how to repair and protect your chimney with our superior products, trusted by certified professionals nationwide.