When to Clean your Chimney

 

 

 

How to tell when it's time to clean your chimney

Here's another common question – unfortunately there is no simple rule of thumb on how often to clean your chimney. The problem is that creosote forms when wood is burned incompletely. A smoky fire with insufficient oxygen emits lots of unburned tar vapours that can condense inside the flue and stick to it, potentially causing a chimney fire.
You can reduce this creosote build up in your fireplace by providing adequate combustion air, which will encourage a hot, clean-burning fire.

To check for creosote yourself, first make sure there’s no down draft from the chimney. If you feel an airflow, open a door or window on the same floor as the fireplace until the down draft stops. Then don a pair of goggles or safety glasses and a disposable dust mask and using a powerful torch and a poker, scratch the black surface above the smoke chamber. If the groove you scratch in the creosote is paper thin, no cleaning is necessary. If it is more than 3mm thick, schedule a cleaning soon. If you have 5mm or more of creosote, do not use the fireplace again until it is cleaned—a chimney fire could occur.

To check for creosote, shine the torch near to the top of the firebox, in the smoke chamber and around the damper. Check the flue, too, especially on exterior chimneys, where creosote builds faster than on interior chimneys because of lower outside temperatures.

The easiest creosote to remove is the feather-light dull grey, brown or black soot. The next form is a black granular accumulation, removed fairly easily with a stiff chimney brush. The third type of creosote is a road tar–like coating that is much harder to remove even with stiff chimney brushes and scrapers. The final is a shiny, glaze-like coating on the flue that is virtually impossible to remove.
You could try to remove creosote yourself, but for a thorough job, call a professional chimney sweep. A chimney sweep should be trained to recognize deterioration or venting problems and able to advise you regarding the chimney’s condition.
Tip:
Save money and avoid a long wait by having your chimney inspected and cleaned in the spring.

Whilst we cannot supply you with a chimney sweep we can fulfil your fireplace cleaning requirements HERE