WHY SPRING CLEANING IS BEST

03/29/2011 22:44:00

WHY SPRING CLEANUP IS WISE

Here is why there is value and it makes good sense to have flues and venting systems attended to in the spring of the year.

Consider This:

Your chimney should be cleaned before moisture mixing with soot and creosote form sulfuric and hydrochloric acids that eat into the chimney structure. Chlorine from household cleaning compounds is in the combustion air rising up the chimney. Sulfur is in soot deposits from a coal fire.

2. Damp creosote in the flue has a sour, sickly smell.

Warm weather, rain, high humidity tends to increase the strength of the odor.

It's always there in your chimney, but you don't usually notice it during the heating

season. In winter the draft helps carry the smell away and the flue also stays

drier. But in summer downdrafts (flow reversal of the air in the flue) can send the

odor into the house. Cleaning out the creosote or soot should eliminate this

smell, but many sweeps also use a special deodorizer.

3. Unwelcome visitors should be evicted from chimney and smoke shelf.

Birds, squirrels, raccoons and snakes may be taking shelter there. Migrating

chimney swifts using your flue as a motel will make a stinking mess. Raccoons’

can be dangerous and often carry parasites deadly to humans.(Call an animal

removal service if the sweep is not equipped or licensed for the job.)

4. Next, a chimney cap should be installed to keep out critters, rain and snow.

A cap with a spark arrestor will deter birds and animals, as well as prevent sparks

from flying out onto the roof.

5. Schedule a second visit if your regular appointment time cannot accommodate

all that may be required. Your sweep can schedule a second visit if he finds that

your wood heating system needs additional servicing or some of the problems

mentioned in this article requires his attention.

6. Chimneys should be inspected yearly. Deteriorating mortar and missing or

broken bricks and missing, broken or cracked flue tiles should be replaced. A

harmless looking hairline crack in a tile flue-liner will open up under high

temperatures. Escaping heat and flame could set your house on fire! Sweeps who

scan flues with a camera can provide photos of damage or defects. (When and if

needed)

7. Many chimneys need to be relined to be safe. Damage from a chimney fire or

the deterioration over the years may mandate that your flue needs to be

completely relined. High quality flexible stainless steel liners are available for this

purpose through your chimney sweep. Your professional sweep is trained in the

necessary installation techniques.

8. When insurance may cover the cost of lining a chimney. In case of a chimney

fire where the date and time of the fire was witnessed or the fire department was

called and a chimney fire can be determined, your professional sweep can provide

assistance with an inspection and condition report for the insurance company.

9. Many sweeps work with insurance companies on a regular basis. They are

accustomed to supplying documentation of the damage, as well as estimates for

rebuilding, repairing or relining a chimney.

10. Many sweeps are overbooked in the fall. They must turn away customers, or

put them on hold. Don't let this happen to you call early and preferably in the

spring to be safe and not disappointed.

11. A stove or fireplace insert may have been incorrectly installed. An incorrect

installation can be like time bomb, ticking away, threatening your home and

family. The connector pipe may need to be replaced. Sections should be screwed

together so they cannot rattle apart and spill burning creosote onto the floor if

there is a chimney fire. Safety standards from the National Fire Protection

Association require solid-fuel stoves and fireplace inserts to be properly connected

to a stainless steel flue liner. An oversize chimney will not draw properly and is not

legal for your insurance or the fire/building code.

If you have converted to gas as fuel or replaced your furnace with a high or mid-efficiency gas unit, your chimney should be inspected to insure proper venting as this new appliances create a considerable amount of condensation requiring cleaning to prevent possible damage, blockage or the need for a stainless steel liner.

It will also need proper vent pipe installed, something service companies often neglect to do. A gas furnace should never vent into an unlined masonry chimney. Excessive moisture and acids in the flue gases can destroy it in a few short years. In addition, sluggish draft in an oversize flue can cause poisonous carbon monoxide fumes to spill into the house. The installation of a gas furnace should not he left to amateurs or to behind-the-times professionals.

Keep Your Family Safe

03/29/2011 21:14:00

Chimney Cleaning – Keep Your Family Safe by Sweeping Your Chimney

Who doesn’t enjoy sitting in front of an open fireplace?

There is something magical about watching a fire burning in the fireplace and seeing the smoke winding its way up in to the chimney. But as with everything in life, with the joy of having a fireplace comes the need to keep the chimney clean and the flue in good order. So you need a chimney sweep to come and clean it for you and check that the chimney is still safe to use.

Sadly many families lose their lives due to house fires that have used open fireplaces where the flue was cracked or broken or the chimney was not clean and the home has caught on fire. It is a dreadful and unnecessary loss of life, that could so easily have been prevented, simply by not using a dirty or damaged chimney. For this reason it is vital to get a chimney sweep to come and check the condition of your chimney on a regular basis. Approximately once a year, or at the very least once every 2 years.

What is involved in chimney sweeping?

Chimney sweeping is taking a specially built chimney sweep brush, and sweeping the inside of your chimney from the very top right down to the bottom.

This will then dislodge the materials that have built up on the insides of the chimney. When your fireplace is lit, and a fire is burning, it releases various by-products in to the smoke that is produced. These by-products create layer upon layer of black soot on the inside of your chimney. As this soot material is carbon based, and is essentially the same product that people buy in brick form to burn on their barbeques it is extremely flammable and therefore dangerous to leave in place. It must be regularly cleaned out to prevent the danger of it catching fire and burning your home down.

Can you sweep the chimney yourself?

Yes with the right tools and the correct training you can clean your own chimney, but it can be quite a dangerous and difficult job. Not to mention, a very dirty one too.

You will need a strong secure set of climbing ladders, as you are going to need to climb up on your roof. Once there you are then going to need to safely balance yourself up there while trying to work down through a chimney that is often far taller than you. How are you going to safely climb up to the top of the chimney? You can see why most people don’t feel that the risk is worth it, and opt to call in a professional.

Of course even assuming that you have managed to do all this so far and have dislodged the build up of soot and carbon from the inside of the chimney, and it all comes flooding down to the fireplace. How are you going to contain it and stop it from billowing out and all over your carpet, your curtains, your furniture and yourself?

Usually simply placing a sheet over the fireplace will not stop it all from getting everywhere. Now you will need to have the curtains dry cleaned, and the carpets cleans and what are you going to do about the sofa? Plus of course your clothes will likely now be ruined.

A professional chimney cleaning and flue inspecting company has the proper equipment required for the job, and knows his job thoroughly. If you need repairs or simply to have your chimney cleaned he will be able to do the job professionally.

If ever you have any questions regarding a blog posted within our website feel free to contact Jeffrey L. Decker. ANy questions regarding chimney service, i.e. chimney sweeping, pellet stove installs, wood stove installs, pellet or wood stove repairs or chimney repairs, please call anytime:

860-634-4259

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WHY SPRING CLEANING IS BEST

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