What is the best way of cleaning your chimney?

As soon as you own a chimney, cleanliness comes as a topic of first priority. Cleaning your chimney depends on numerous factors like frequency of cleaning, cleaning methodologies and material of chimney. In this article, let’s get to the best way of cleaning your chimney.

Why do you need to clean the chimney?

Keeping the chimney clean helps prevent a house fire-it’s very easy. When lit in a fireplace, two things happen: the accumulation of chimney soot and the accumulation of creosote, a heavy, thick oily residue similar to tar. A by-product of firewood. Soot can be easily removed, but creosote adheres to the lining of the chimney. This is dangerous because it is very flammable. To sum it up, the more creosote, the higher the risk of fire.

How to clean your chimney?

While it’s a very good idea to have the chimney inspected by a CSIA professional as per professional chimney cleaning, serious DIYers can do some maintenance themselves. Here are the steps for cleaning your chimney yourself:

1.First, take a good look at the inside of the flue. You might be able to inspect the chimney cleaning   from the bottom, either by looking up from the fireplace with a flashlight or through the cleanout with a flashlight and mirror. The best view is from above, however. To do this, you`ll need to be above the chimney looking down, which means you`ll need to be able to use ladders and be on a roof safely and comfortably.

2.Remove the chimney cap and shine a flashlight into the flue. From above or below, look for chimney damage and accumulation of black flaky material. This is creosote.
3.Chimney sweeps are not as easy as they look, and experience is an important task. However, with the right tools, skills, and knowledge of what to look for, a skilled handyman can clean his chimney.

Tools for chimney cleaning

Buy a chimney brush that is sized and shaped to fit the chimney cleaning procedure  and an extension rod that is sufficient to accommodate the overall length of the chimney (rod lengths are 4, 5 and 6 feet).

Use a metal brush to deduct masonry and a poly brush to deduct stainless steel.

To use the chimney brush, follow these steps:

• Close the door to the wood stove or tape the plastic to the opening of the chimney.
• Working from above, with the damper open and the chimney cap removed, thread on the first rod.
• Insert the brush into the flue, push it down, scrubbing up and down as you go.
• Thread on additional sections of rod as needed and repeat the scrubbing until you reach the bottom.
• Once the brush is out of the chimney, look inside to see if you`ve removed all the creosote. If you haven`t, repeat the process.
• Once the flue is clean, use a shop vacuum to remove all the soot and creosote that’s fallen into the lower areas.

How often should you clean your chimney ?

Once a year. Annual maintenance, which includes cleaning and inspection, is recommended.