Clean Sweeps of Michigan's Blog

Easy Spring Checklist for Your Chimney

Your spring home maintenance checklist would not be complete without the chimney being part of it.

Did you know that a chimney sweep’s off-peak season is the best season to schedule non-emergency chimney repair and preventative maintenance? That’s because from October through January, many chimney sweeps—especially in colder climates like ours here in Michigan—are booked up to one month in advance. That is certainly the case for those of us at Clean Sweeps of Michigan, especially since we are known as the authority on chimneys in our region.

In business since 1980, we help our customers identify potential problems with their chimney by asking the following questions—though they’re great questions to ask of yourself as well when determining whether or not to call a professional.

Have you had your chimney professionally cleaned in the past year?

If you use your chimney regularly, an annual sweeping is the recommendation of most every fire safety and chimney safety organization in the country.

Do you have a top-sealing damper installed on your chimney?

Top-sealing dampers have replaced old-fashioned throat dampers as the best way to shut out the elements and keep expensive conditioned air inside your home. The top-sealing variety provides a far tighter seal and can save you hundreds of dollars a year on your energy expenses.

Do you have a chimney cap or chase cover?

Chimney covers (for masonry chimneys) and chase covers (for prefabricated chimneys) serve a variety of important purposes—including keeping out damaging rainwater. They also prevent your flue from accumulating debris, which can become a fire hazard, and keep out animals, which can become an annoyance.

Is your chimney masonry stained or crumbling?

If so, this is a good indication that your chimney is leaking and that water is getting inside your flue. This not only greatly shortens the life of your chimney but can cause significant water damage to your chimney and the walls, ceilings, and floors that surround it. If your masonry is in disrepair, one of our chimney masons can tuckpoint it and then waterproof it to keep water from entering your chimney in the future.

Is your chimney stinky or allowing smoke to leak inside your home?

Your chimney should never draft into your living space, nor should your chimney be stinky. These are usually signs that your chimney needs sweeping or that there’s a drafting problem. Drafting problems arise for a variety of reasons. A certified chimney technician will be able to identify what causing your chimney to smell or smoke.

Live in Michigan and have questions about your chimney or heating appliance?

Clean Sweeps of Michigan has decades of experience fixing “sick” chimneys so that families can once again enjoy their fireplaces with confidence. Contact us today at (517) 529-4453.

The Basics of Ash Removal

There’s a lot of upkeep inherent in using and maintaining a wood-burning fireplace or stove. You need to make sure and schedule your annual chimney inspection and regular chimney sweeping appointments, chop and dry and/or store wood, build your fires, tend your fires and clean up after your fires.

Are you unsure of whether or not the ashes in your fireplace or stove need to be removed?

One thing that might surprise you if you’re new to wood-burning appliance ownership, though: You don’t need to remove all the ash in your fireplace or stove all the time. In fact, you really don’t want to remove it all.

A small layer of ash actually makes it easier for you to get a consistent fire going, by encouraging heat back toward your fuel and the fire and helping to get combustion moving. An ash layer also gives your firebox a little extra protection by buffering the floor against the fire’s heat, too.

You will, of course, need to remove ash at certain points. But don’t rush it — you’ll want to remove the ash only when it’s necessary. And that’s not just an excuse to cross off that line on your honey-do list — it’s the truth!

Here are a few guidelines that can help you know if it’s time to remove the ash in your fireplace or stove:

Remove The Ash When…

The Level Of Ash Reaches Your Fire Grate

Is your pile of ash poking up from under the grate? It’s time to tame it back. That’s in part to help maintain the grate — ash has acidic qualities that can start to erode it, and beyond that, the ash is helpfully pushing heat back toward the fire, and your grate is getting caught in the crossfire, undergoing a heat blast that won’t help its longevity. Really, an ash layer of about an inch is all you need to get the burn benefits and protection that ash brings, so shooting for that is a good rule of thumb.

Your Stove Is Stuffed

Do you have so much ash in your wood-burning stove that it’s making it hard to get sufficient fuel in there? You’re probably assuming — and rightly so — that it’s time to ditch some of that ash. Ash has its benefits, but a stove stuffed with ash that’s burned well past being useful is just creating a dirty and inefficient stove situation. Grab your ash shovel and metal bin, for sure.

It’s Closing Time

When the warm weather rolls in for good and you’re calling an end to your burning and heating season, giving the appliance a good ash removal is smart. If ash deposits sit through the spring and summer, the acids in the ash can damage a variety of materials and many parts in your appliance, from your metal grate to your masonry. Beyond that, ash can pull in and hold moisture, and we all know how much damage moisture can do to our chimney systems.

If you have any other questions about smart and effective burning and appliance maintenance practices, Clean Sweeps of Michigan Inc. is always glad to help. Just give us a call!