new home question with fireplaces/wood burning stoves

if you moved in to your "new to you home" but not a brand new construction type of home

And it had a fireplace, did you have a chimney person come out and check everything out before using it?

We have a wood/coal burning stove in one room and a gas fireplace in another room. the gas one I'm not concerned about because DH knows enough about them and they use it often (everytime we have been there)

my concern is the wood/coal burning stove. it has candles inside it and I don't believe they use it. I'm a little nervous to use it

Re: new home question with fireplaces/wood burning stoves

Fireplace chimneys, liners should be checked every year if they are used. They can remove the creosote that can build up from the wood burning plus they can make sure that all is ok. You should ask them when was the last time they had serviced it. You should also ask them how long ago the wood stove was installed. Are they leaving the wood stove there? Some wood stove models can be removed and the owner can take them when they move. The new wood stove models are more efficient than the older models. If you use it, you can save $$$$ on your heating bill.

Re: new home question with fireplaces/wood burning stoves

Yes, we knew we needed a new cap so we had Best Way Chimney come in and service the whole thing. They were awesome and it was worth the piece of mind before we used it.

Re: new home question with fireplaces/wood burning stoves

yes, though we waited a while and just had it inspected last weekend. good thing we hadn't tried to use the fireplace b/c the liner is essentially gone from water damage. if we had tried to use it, we would have had smoke back up into the house or worse.

definitely have it inspected and cleaned before you use either. it's a total safety issue.

Re: new home question with fireplaces/wood burning stoves

totally get them check out before you use them. get them served once a year. better to be safe then sorry.