Annual Chimney Sweeping
The National Fire Protection Administration code states that all
wood stove and fireplace chimneys should be cleaned and inspected at least once
per year by a qualified chimney professional.
Why should you get you flue cleaned every year?
Good question. Some people go for several years without cleaning their flue. Some get by with it but most don't. We personally saw several homes in the tri cities area that burned completely down as a result of a chimney fire. Who knows how many more received partial damage. The cost of getting your chimney cleaned by a professional is nothing compared to the cost of losing your home and all your possessions. Even worse than losing your possessions, you risk of losing your life or the life of a family member. Why take the risk when we are only a phone call away 423-398-1632
Some people clean their chimney themselves and think they are doing a good job. While their intentions are good, I can tell you that few if any homeowners have the right equipment and knowledge to clean a flue, smoke chamber, smoke shelf, etc properly. We see it all the time where a homeowner buys a brush and some lightweight rods and tries to "clean" their chimney. Certainly this is better than doing nothing but is hardly adequate. The fact is, it takes appropriate professional equipment to clean and inspect the system adequately. We use expandable brushes that are spun by an electric motor. As they spin they expand to reach every surface of the flue multiple times per minute. Some flues have just a buildup of light ash, some have creosote, some have heavily crystallized creosote. We have different brushes for each. For the worst cases we have a brush that uses 3/16 inch steel cable for the brushing fibers. In short, cleaning a chimney is not a DIY project. A homeowner can supplement the cleaning process but it should still be cleaned by a professional once per year. Don't risk your home or your life, call Chimney Sweeps to schedule your chimney cleaning today.
Good question. Some people go for several years without cleaning their flue. Some get by with it but most don't. We personally saw several homes in the tri cities area that burned completely down as a result of a chimney fire. Who knows how many more received partial damage. The cost of getting your chimney cleaned by a professional is nothing compared to the cost of losing your home and all your possessions. Even worse than losing your possessions, you risk of losing your life or the life of a family member. Why take the risk when we are only a phone call away 423-398-1632
Some people clean their chimney themselves and think they are doing a good job. While their intentions are good, I can tell you that few if any homeowners have the right equipment and knowledge to clean a flue, smoke chamber, smoke shelf, etc properly. We see it all the time where a homeowner buys a brush and some lightweight rods and tries to "clean" their chimney. Certainly this is better than doing nothing but is hardly adequate. The fact is, it takes appropriate professional equipment to clean and inspect the system adequately. We use expandable brushes that are spun by an electric motor. As they spin they expand to reach every surface of the flue multiple times per minute. Some flues have just a buildup of light ash, some have creosote, some have heavily crystallized creosote. We have different brushes for each. For the worst cases we have a brush that uses 3/16 inch steel cable for the brushing fibers. In short, cleaning a chimney is not a DIY project. A homeowner can supplement the cleaning process but it should still be cleaned by a professional once per year. Don't risk your home or your life, call Chimney Sweeps to schedule your chimney cleaning today.
How to clean a chimney
This is a listing of the general steps we take to clean your flue. The process may vary slightly one job to another but in general this is the what we do.
1. Visual inspection and evaluation. Upon arrival we will spread clean canvas drop cloths on the floor in front of the fireplace or woodstove to protect your flooring. A visual examination of the fire box and damper is completed. It is important that the damper opens and closes properly.
2. Visual inspection of the "crown" The crown is the horizontal flat surface at the top of the chimney structure. It typically is made or concrete or mortar. We look for cracks or signs that water is intruding into the chase. We also look at the condition of your rain cap and the check for cracks and missing mortar in the chimney.
Prior to beginning the cleaning operation, we will install a fan on top of the flue. This fan is oriented so that it pulls air from inside the home up and out the flue. During the cleaning process this forced air flow will bring most of the light ash and dust up the flue and out of the home minimizing the chances of making a mess in your home.
3. Vacuum system. We have a very large high volume vacuum that we set up in front of the fireplace. A 5 inch suction hose is placed in the firebox. Any light ash or soot particles not carried up the flue by the top fan will be sucked up by the vacuum. This vacuum system has 3 layers of filtration that catches 99.9% of the soot and ash particles so you don't need to worry about us leaving a mess in your home. The heavy non airborne particles fall to the floor of the firebox and are vacuumed up later
4. The appropriate size and type of brush need for the job is attached to a cleaning rod and the other end of the rod attached to our power unit. The brush is inserted through the damper into the smoke chamber and the cleaning begins. The rods are three feet in length. As the rod is advanced forward and back the spinning brush knocks loose the ash, soot and creosote. Once that section is cleaned, another rod is attached and the next section is cleaned and so on until we reach the top of the flue. At that point the process is reversed and we clean the flue a second time on the way down.
5. Smoke shelf. Most fireplaces have a flat area above and behind the damper opening. Ash and debris tend to build up on this flat area so it is vital that it be cleaned off. This is one of the hottest areas in the chimney system and you don't want flammable items laying there waiting to start a flue fire. This is another reason why a DIY cleaning from the top is insufficient. The brushing process knocks a lot of debris loose and it falls down. Much of it landing on the smoke shelf. It is imperative that you reach up there and drag that ash and debris out. We extend a small hose from the vacuum up onto the smoke shelf to make sure we get it all cleaned off.
6. Firebox. To complete the sweeping process we use a series of wire and synthetic brushes to clean the walls of the fire box. This is the part that you see when you are sitting on the couch so we try to clean it as best we can. Any remaining ash and soot is on the firebox floor is removed. For final cleanup we will vacuum the firebox floor, the hearth and the floor in front of the fireplace to make sure everything is clean and tidy.
The process usually takes about an hour and a half to two hours. A written report is given to you identifying any damage or deficiencies we discover. If needed , we have camera equipment that we can insert into the flue to do a more detailed inspection of the entire system.
1. Visual inspection and evaluation. Upon arrival we will spread clean canvas drop cloths on the floor in front of the fireplace or woodstove to protect your flooring. A visual examination of the fire box and damper is completed. It is important that the damper opens and closes properly.
2. Visual inspection of the "crown" The crown is the horizontal flat surface at the top of the chimney structure. It typically is made or concrete or mortar. We look for cracks or signs that water is intruding into the chase. We also look at the condition of your rain cap and the check for cracks and missing mortar in the chimney.
Prior to beginning the cleaning operation, we will install a fan on top of the flue. This fan is oriented so that it pulls air from inside the home up and out the flue. During the cleaning process this forced air flow will bring most of the light ash and dust up the flue and out of the home minimizing the chances of making a mess in your home.
3. Vacuum system. We have a very large high volume vacuum that we set up in front of the fireplace. A 5 inch suction hose is placed in the firebox. Any light ash or soot particles not carried up the flue by the top fan will be sucked up by the vacuum. This vacuum system has 3 layers of filtration that catches 99.9% of the soot and ash particles so you don't need to worry about us leaving a mess in your home. The heavy non airborne particles fall to the floor of the firebox and are vacuumed up later
4. The appropriate size and type of brush need for the job is attached to a cleaning rod and the other end of the rod attached to our power unit. The brush is inserted through the damper into the smoke chamber and the cleaning begins. The rods are three feet in length. As the rod is advanced forward and back the spinning brush knocks loose the ash, soot and creosote. Once that section is cleaned, another rod is attached and the next section is cleaned and so on until we reach the top of the flue. At that point the process is reversed and we clean the flue a second time on the way down.
5. Smoke shelf. Most fireplaces have a flat area above and behind the damper opening. Ash and debris tend to build up on this flat area so it is vital that it be cleaned off. This is one of the hottest areas in the chimney system and you don't want flammable items laying there waiting to start a flue fire. This is another reason why a DIY cleaning from the top is insufficient. The brushing process knocks a lot of debris loose and it falls down. Much of it landing on the smoke shelf. It is imperative that you reach up there and drag that ash and debris out. We extend a small hose from the vacuum up onto the smoke shelf to make sure we get it all cleaned off.
6. Firebox. To complete the sweeping process we use a series of wire and synthetic brushes to clean the walls of the fire box. This is the part that you see when you are sitting on the couch so we try to clean it as best we can. Any remaining ash and soot is on the firebox floor is removed. For final cleanup we will vacuum the firebox floor, the hearth and the floor in front of the fireplace to make sure everything is clean and tidy.
The process usually takes about an hour and a half to two hours. A written report is given to you identifying any damage or deficiencies we discover. If needed , we have camera equipment that we can insert into the flue to do a more detailed inspection of the entire system.