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THE CHIMNEY SWEEP

Don Crole Chimney Services Web Page

"The Chimney Sweep"

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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:

  1. Your chimney should be cleaned before moisture mixing with soot and creosote form sulfuric and hydrochloric acids that eat into the chimney structure.

    2. 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.

    3. Warm weather, rain, high humidity tend 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.

    4. Birds, squirrels, raccoons and snakes may be taking shelter there. Migrating chimney swifts using your flue as a motel will make a stinking mess. Racoons 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.

Click here for information on chimney caps
  1. Schedule a second visit if your regular appointment time cannot accommodate all that may be required.

    2. 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.

  2. Chimneys should be inspected yearly.

    3. 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! Click here for information on the dangers of a chimney fire. Sweeps who scan flues with a camera can provide photos of damage or defects.

  3. Many chimneys need to be relined to be safe.

    4. 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.

  4. When insurance may cover the cost of lining a chimney.

    5. 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.

  5. Many sweeps work with insurance companies on a regular basis.

    6. They are accustomed to supplying documentation of the damage, as well as estimates for rebuilding, repairing or relining a chimney

  6. 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.

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
  1. A stove or fireplace insert may have been incorrectly installed.
    2.

    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 he properly connected to a stainless steel flueliner. An oversize chimney will not draw properly and is not legal for your insurance or the fire/buiolding code; see information on the proper drawing of a chimney.

  2. 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.
    3.

    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.

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    Reprinted, with permission, from the November 1998 issue ot SNEWS, The Chimney Sweep News, an independent trade magazine for chimney service professionals: P.O. Box 98, Wilmore, KY 40390; (606) 858-4043. Jay Hensley, editor/publisher.

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