Chimney Cleaning
Just What Is Chimney Cleaning?
It is essentially a cleaning and maintenance service that covers the entire system.
If it is a wood stove, then it should cover the chimney, black pipe, firebox, bricks, baffle, door glass ( including cleaning of glass ) along with a basic inspection. In fact for any Certified Sweep, the code of ethics demands that a visual inspection without written report be done.
if are any concerns a camera inspection may also be performed. It is not simply pushing the soot to take bottom and leaving!
How Are Chimneys Cleaned Today
Realistically virtually all certified sweeps today use rotary power sweeping tools assisted with a HEPA vacuum.j
Why? Well we are in the 21st century, we know push brooms can and do damage stainless steel chimneys. We know science is our friend and with those advancements have developed tools to assist in doing a safer, better and cleaner job. Yes the tools are far more costly to buy initially but they are worth it for the homeowner.
The piece of black pipe to the left has had a chimney fire in it.
the fire is what causes the bubble looking areas, which are actually quite thin and crumble easily. It is called expanded creosote, it heated, melted in the fire, bubbled and dried in bubble form.
What is Rotary Power Sweeping?
Rotary Power Sweeping is a more advanced method used by most professionals today to clean the chimney.
The method was invented in 2001 and took off quickly in Europe, however it was a bit slower to be adopted in North America for some reason.
There is nothing that comes even close to power sweeping for stainless steel chimneys, stainless steel liners or black pipe cleaning. It does a FAR better job than any manual pushing of a broom could every do.
It still does a far better job in masonry chimneys, especially for the really hard creosote removal, but for the easy removal in masonry chimneys the gap may not be quite as big.
But like any other modern power tool today, doing the job manually can hardly compare!
How Often Should I Have My System Cleaned
Well first of all, keep in mind it is more than just a chimney cleaning. Far more, when done by a Certified Sweep!
However lets step back and look at when and why.
First the Fire Code states you MUST have your chimney inspected annually and cleaned if necessary.
Second, evidence has shown that 3mm of creosote is adequate to sustain a chimney fire. The Fire Code states that at 2mm you should clean your chimney and at 3mm you must clean it.
Finally, it depends on your stove, your chimney, black pipe and how well seasoned your wood is. However, we are here to help you make that decision.
Honestly, most who use as primary heat should do it annually. We have seen several occasional users who can go two or three years between cleanings. But honestly it is best to be safe.
Some have asked if they can inspect and clean themselves and absolutely they can. Like most things however some can do a great job and others not so good. However, if you had a fire it would be beneficial if a certified sweep had done the job!