The Fall Chimney Checklist for Shabbona Homeowners

Fall is chimney season in Shabbona, and a little preparation now means a warm, safe winter later. Here is the checklist we would run through before the first cold night — most of it is simple, and the rest is what we handle.

Book your sweep and inspection

Do this first, before the rush. A clean flue and a camera check are the foundation everything else sits on, and they reveal any repair you’ll want done before you actually need the fireplace. Scheduling in early fall means you get on the calendar ahead of the cold-weather crush.

Check the cap and crown

Look up from the ground: a missing or damaged cap lets water and animals into the flue, and a visibly cracked crown funnels water into the masonry all winter. Both are worth fixing before the freeze-thaw cycle starts, and both are far cheaper to address early than after water has done its damage.

Stock seasoned wood

Only burn wood seasoned at least six months to a year, dried below about twenty percent moisture. Wet or green wood burns cool and smoky and lays down creosote fast. Split it, stack it off the ground, and cover the top while leaving the sides open to airflow. Hardwoods like oak burn longer and cleaner than soft, resinous woods.

Test your alarms

Put a working smoke alarm and a carbon-monoxide alarm on every level of the home and test them. A CO alarm is the backstop that catches a venting problem you cannot see or smell, and it matters with any fuel-burning appliance.

Prime that first fire

A cold flue drafts poorly until it warms. On the season’s first fire, warm the flue by holding a rolled, lit newspaper up near the open damper for a minute, then start with a small, hot fire to establish draft before adding larger logs. Confirm the damper opens fully first.

When in doubt, call

If anything looks off — heavy buildup, a smell, a poor draft — get it inspected before you burn. A quick check now beats a smoke-filled room, or worse, in January. A little fall preparation buys a whole season of safe, comfortable fires in your Shabbona home.

Don’t forget the outside

Fall prep is not only about the flue. Take a walk around and look up at the chimney exterior: check that the cap is present and intact, scan the visible masonry for cracks or crumbling mortar, and look for any staining that signals water intrusion. Trim back branches that overhang the chimney, since they drop debris and invite animals. Clearing leaves and debris from around the base and confirming the exterior vent for any gas appliance is unobstructed rounds it out. These few minutes outside catch problems that an indoor check misses — and give your Shabbona chimney a clean bill of health going into winter.

Published October 2, 2026 · Imperial Chimney Sweepers, DeKalb, IL