How Often Should You Clean Your Chimney?
It is recommended to inspect and clean the chimney twice a year, and also whenever creosote is found. If you utilize your fireplace frequently throughout the year You will have to keep it clean more frequently. Prolonged use of fireplaces that are fireplaces that are wood burning can cause soot as well as creosote to accumulate quickly.
If your fireplace isn’t operating, animals might be able to nest in the chimney. Animals’ leftovers could affect the effectiveness of your fireplace. They could be a danger to an accidental fire in the chimney. Every year, chimney cleanings los angles are conducted to ensure that there aren’t any fire hazards like dirt and debris, the buildup of soot, or creosote glaze.
How To Know That Chimney Needs Cleaning
Poorly Burning Fires
If you’re having trouble lighting the fire in your fireplace it may be due to the chimney being blocked or there’s an issue with your damper for your fireplace. Both of these conditions may prevent fires from getting the proper amount of oxygen in order to burn properly.
Odors Emanating From the Fireplace
Creosote is a campfire-like smell that can be detected near the fireplace. It may smell nice to you however it’s evidence that accumulation within the chimney could be ignited and cause serious destruction to your home and everything within it.
Chimney Soot Falling From the Chimney
If you notice chunks of chimney creosote or chimney soot falling on the wood that is emitted from your chimney is a clear indication that you’re dealing with the problem of creosote accumulation and the chimney should be cleaned.
Air Not Flowing Up the Chimney
Even if there is no fire in your chimney, you will often sense a stream of air rising when the damper is open. If there isn’t any air movement or flow whatsoever, even during a storm, it’s a signal that your chimney needs cleaning.
What’s involved in Chimney Cleaning?
A chimney sweep cleans up creosote and soot obstructions from chimney liners, smoke chambers, fireboxes, and dampers. Cleaning your chimney as well as free from obstructions is vital for many reasons, and all of them have to do with security, operation, or the lifespan of your chimney. The most important thing to remember is that the chimney that isn’t maintained properly can be entrapment for fire and get worse to the point where repairs can be very costly.
If you use wood to heat the fireplace, there’s always some creosote that gets deposited into the flues and lining. However, when you burn certain kinds of timber, accumulation is more extensive. For example, untreated wood is brimming with moisture and isn’t able to burn cleanly. Also, creosote from the flue accumulates quickly, making it a bad kind of wood to burn.
If there’s a build-up of creosote inside the chimney It is likely that the flammable materials may catch fire and the flame could then be spread from the chimney to the rest of the house. If a glaze is visible within the flue in any amount, and even lower than 1/8″ cleaning should not delay, given how highly flammable it is.
Another reason why creosote may be an issue is the fact that it could limit the flow of the fireplace which can reduce its efficiency of the fireplace.
How To Get Rid of the Dirt Inside An Chimney
The chimney brushes will be the tool that is most commonly used for cleaning chimney soot. However, it’s not so easy as there’s a multitude of items for both the inside and the outside of your home to think about prior to tackling the task.
The Price Of Chimney cleaning
It is contingent on the location you live in however, in general having your chimney professionally cleaned can cost anywhere from $125-$300. The price should include an inspection (for an overall safety assessment) as well as a complete cleaning or sweep. The removal of creosote will probably cost more, and should you find critters in your chimney, or need major repairs, be prepared to pay a bit more.