Anyone with a fireplace, wood stove, or furnace should consider having their chimney professionally inspected and cleaned on a yearly basis. In Milwaukee and Waukesha, we can use our chimneys year round so having a chimney cleaning by a certified chimney sweep is important.
A dirty chimney not only reduces heating efficiency, but it also poses a dangerous fire hazard for your home and family. Having Clean Sweep Chimney Service clean your chimney thoroughly, professionally and regularly can help prevent these problems.
Without
regular cleaning, highly flammable residue called creosote can build up
over time. Even as little as a ¼” of build up could pose issues. You and
your family could also be at risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. Protect
your home by calling Clean Sweep Chimney Service for an estimate.
Tips on keeping your Chimney Clean
No
matter how well you care for a fireplace, the flue inside your chimney
suffers a gradual build-up of creosote (hard-layered residue from the
wood-smoke), which can catch fire. Periodic chimney-cleaning is
necessary in order to avoid such a catastrophe. This isn’t a
do-it-yourself project; you need to hire a professional to clean your
chimney.
Have your chimney cleaned once a year if you use it a
lot. If you use your fireplace two or three times per week during
colder months, have it inspected and cleaned each year. Another handy
method is to inspect and clean after every 70 fires. Ask the chimney
inspector about the condition of your flue liner and (if you have a
masonry chimney) mortar.
So how can you reduce creosote build-up and keep your fireplace and chimney as clean as possible this season?
First
of all, encourage good draft up your chimney, simply by keeping a
window open a crack when you burn a fire. The air entering your room
will get sucked up the chimney. Opening a window also ensures that your
indoor air quality stays good while you burn the fire.
If you
have glass fireplace doors, invest in a screen to block the fire instead
of using glass. Doing so will also aid in ventilating the fire and
encouraging airflow through the flue.
In addition to the
aforementioned ventilation tips, you can reduce creosote build-up by
using only dry hardwood logs, which burn more completely.
Clean
the ash out of the fireplace. Wearing a dust mask, open a window in the
room and then open the damper to let the draft suck any airborne ash
out of the fireplace. Then, using fire gloves, remove the old coals.
Carefully sweep the remaining dust into a dustpan. Remember to wait
about three days after your most recent fire to do any of this; embers
stay hot for a surprisingly long time!
Cap your chimney. Not
only can an uncapped chimney collect gunk and debris, but it can also
cause your damper to rust or even invite animals to make it their
unlucky home.
Glass cleaners, brick cleaners and other
appropriate cleaners are available for purchase to maintain the happy
appearance of your fireplace. If you have dish soap handy, simply dilute
it to make your own glass cleaner.
These simple steps can ensure that your enjoyment of the fireplace is not dampened by lingering doubts about safety.
Types of Chimney Cleaning Services we offer are:
Chimney
Sweep Services, Chimney safety inspection, Chimney creosote removal,
Fireplace chimney cleaning, Furnace chimney cleaning, Woodstove chimney
cleaning, Smoke and odor elimination, and Animal removal.
Serving Milwaukee, Slinger, Waukesha and Southeastern Wi
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