How to clean a chimney yourself?

How to clean a chimney yourself?

Home & Garden

Regular chimney cleaning is extremely important as it will help you in avoiding dangerous fire breakouts. In this article, we put together all the information that you need to know before getting started with it. Basically, the tools that you may require in this case include drop cloth, dust mask, flashlight, flue liner brush, long handle brush, noodle brush, safety goggles, safety harness, and a shop vacuum. In case you do not want to take the pain of doing it yourself, it is much better to call in a chimney inspection company rather than trying it yourself.

In fact, we do recommend you take professional chimney cleaning help because it is much more efficient and quicker. At the same time, it will save you plenty of time and will also minimize the possibility of any damage. Furthermore, if you are not able to clean the creosote properly, chances are that a fire could break out later. This is yet another reason why you are better off relying on a chimney cleaner in the long run.

Cleaning your chimneys

Nevertheless, if you are planning to clean your chimneys on your own, you will need some basic cleaning information first. The materials that you may require include a duct tape and some poly-sheeting.

Once you have all the needed materials, it is time to get to work. First, start off by cleaning the creosote from every part of your chimney. Most of the chimney fires break out from the smoke chamber. So, this is the most important part that you must clean first.

In some fireplaces, it is quite difficult to reach the smoke chamber to clean the creosote . In that case, check if it is easy to reach that part in your fireplace. If you cannot reach it, do not consider it to be a DIY project. Though, if you are able to reach that part, then try to maneuver the brush around and clean the entire smoke chamber from the inside.

Next up, check if the chimney crown is accessible. In case the pitch of your roof is very steep, or you are not comfortable climbing on it, then again this is not a DIY project. In this case, only a professional will be able to help you out. Though if you have planned to climb up anyway, make sure that you are wearing your safety harness at all times in order to prevent any nasty accidents.

Why is it important to clean chimneys?

Well the biggest reason why chimney cleaning is important  is that they can result in a fire breakout. Creosote buildup may not seem dangerous, but chimney fires are known to destroy homes in a flash. These fires burn at 451 degrees. After burning, this fire continues to expand very rapidly and can engulf the entire chimney. From there, it can literally destroy the entire house.

Even if you are regularly cleaning your chimney, chimney inspection may still be required for full-proof safety at least once a year. This way, experts can check if there is any venting problem in your chimney so that safe operation of the chimney can be ensured.

Conclusion

Now, you know everything that you should about chimney cleaning and its importance. Still, we do not recommend you consider it as a DIY project because by nature, it is not one! Rather, it is best handled by professionals who are trained at cleaning chimneys. In this regard, feel free to reach out to chimney contractors Bowie in your area. Though, before choosing such a company make sure that it is legitimate and licensed, in order to avoid scam and ensure safety.

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