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Enter the chimney sweep! The main job of a chimney sweep is to remove chimney deposits and evaluate the overall condition of the venting system. A competent chimney sweep should be able to provide recommendations that will improve the safety and efficiency of your appliance and venting system.
There are several reasons to remove chimney deposits:
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To ensure that the appliance vents properly to the outdoors. |
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To prevent chimney fires. |
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To reduce or eliminate chimney odors. |
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To remove blockages that could cause carbon monoxide gases to enter the home. |
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To prevent deterioration of the chimney interior caused by acids in the deposits. |
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Burning large quantities of green or wet wood. |
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Repeatedly allowing the fire to smolder overnight. |
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After removing a woodstove from a fireplace. |
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After a chimney fire. |
There is no single answer for how often a chimney should be cleaned. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recommends that chimneys be inspected at least once a year and cleaned as necessary. The required cleaning frequency will depend on amount of use, the type of installation, the type of fuel, and the burning habits of the operator. Chimneys should be cleaned when accumulations of soot and creosote approach or exceed 1/4 inch. Accumulations of glaze in excess of 1/8 inch should be removed. Frequent, at least annual, inspections are the only way to know when the chimney requires cleaning.
Chimney sweeps employ a variety of cleaning techniques to remove chimney deposits. The method chosen or recommended for your chimney will depend on the type of deposits. Several cleaning methods are described below:
Standard Cleaning - This is the standard or normal cleaning method and involves the use of brushes to clean the chimney walls. A powerful, well filtered vacuum is used to prevent soot and creosote from entering the home. This type of cleaning is effective for soot and ordinary creosote deposits but has little effect on glaze deposits.
Mechanical cleaning - Mechanical cleaning involves the use of wire brushes or special chains rotated at high speed by an electric motor. Mechanical cleaning is often employed to remove hard creosote or glaze deposits. Mechanical cleaning should only be attempted by professional sweeps familiar with the use of this type of equipment. Improper use of mechanical cleaning tools can be hazardous to the operator and the chimney.
Chemical cleaning - Some sweeps prefer to use chemical cleaning instead of mechanical cleaning or in conjunction with mechanical cleaning. Special chemicals are used to loosen or dissolve heavy deposits of creosote and glaze. Chemical cleaning should only be attempted by trained professional sweeps.
As you can see, there are several methods a professional sweep can use. Don't expect a sweep to offer all of the services shown above, but a professional sweep will be able to offer the standard manual cleaning and at least one of the other methods for dealing with excessive creosote and glaze deposits. Sweeps will usually charge additionally for any of the special cleaning types.
If you have a woodstove vented into a fireplace flue without the addition of a properly sized chimney liner, it is quite possible that your sweep will recommend one of the additional cleaning methods. Other times when additional cleaning methods might be recommended are:
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