Unfortunately, there’s no basic tell-tale sign or rule as to when or how often you should clean your chimney. Some maintenance items around the house are to be cleaned or serviced every 100 uses, or monthly, quarterly, or even annually. However, with chimneys the problem is that the creosote can form when wood is burned incompletely. A smoky fire without enough oxygen emits tons of unburned vapors of tar that can condense inside the flue and stick to it, resulting in a potential chimney fire hazard. One thing you can do to reduce an accumulation of creosote in your fireplace is by having adequate combustion air, which will encourage a hot, clean-burning fire.
Chimney Cleaning in Orlando, FL
Homeowners can check for creosote themselves by first making certain there’s no downdraft from the chimney. If you feel an airflow, open a door or window on the same floor as the fireplace until the downdraft stops or reverses and air flows up.
Tip: Try taping tissue to the fireplace opening and while wearing goggles and a dust mask watch to see it’s movement. Using a quality flashlight and your fireplace poker, scratch the black surface above the smoke chamber. If the groove you scratch in the creosote is paper thin, no cleaning is needed.
However, if it’s 1/8 of an inch thick or more it should be cleaned. If you have 1/4 in. of creosote, do not use the fireplace again until it the chimney is cleaned as you’re home has a serious risk of a chimney fire.
To check for creosote, shine the light near the top of the firebox, in the smoke chamber and around the damper. And check the flue, too, especially on exterior chimneys, where creosote builds faster than on interior chimneys because of lower outside temperatures.
The easiest and most effective way to remove creosote is by contacting the chimney cleaning professionals at ABC Cleaning.
There are four types of creosote that we can encounter. First is feather-light dull gray, brown or black soot. The second type is a black granular accumulation, which can be removed relatively easily with a stiff chimney brush. The third type of creosote is a road tar, which is a coating that’s much harder to remove using stiff chimney brushes, scrapers or even power rotary whips. The last type and the deadliest of all is a shiny, glaze-like coating on the flue that’s virtually impossible to remove.
Again, homeowners can try to remove the creosote as a do-it-yourself project, however thorough job done right contact the chimney experts at ABC Cleaning.
About ABC Cleaning, Inc. of Orlando, FL
Serving Central Florida since 1992, ABC Cleaning, Inc. has been the acknowledged leader in air duct cleaning, chimney cleaning and dryer vent cleaning. We’re NADCA certified, we consistently invest in and have the most modern equipment and utilize the latest technology available with the best-trained service technicians in all of Orlando. If you need help deciding whether to replace or repair faulty ducts, please contact us at ABC. We provide quality HVAC service throughout Orlando and the surrounding communities. Give us a call today at 407-477-4302. We are here to help!
