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Sprucing up Your Chimney for Spring

Problems with chimneys only worsen with time, so the sooner you can correct them, the better. Sprucing up your chimney for spring should come as naturally as giving the whole house a thorough cleaning. That means sweeping the whole house, so do not forget about the chimney when it is time to freshen the air.

Spring Clean the Chimney - Ann Arbor MI - Clean Sweeps MI

More Than Just Fresh

The problem with waiting until fall for a good chimney cleaning is that your fires are no longer helping to keep it dry. That means the creosote deposits in it are getting damp, which means they are beginning to corrode the flue. Unlike your emerging flowers, creosote formation is something you want to nip in the bud.

Creosote also smells bad, so sprucing up your chimney is the only way to really achieve a fresh-smelling house. The point of so much expended energy for allergy sufferers and just house-proud owners, a spring cleaned house deserves an odor free chimney! Additionally, having the chimney inspected in spring gives homeowners time to attend to anything it needs.

Preparing for What’s Ahead

Migrating birds are just beginning to return, so a good strong chimney cap that they cannot lift off with their talons is important. Equally important is being sure it is capping a clean chimney already free of creosote, critters, nests, and debris. Similarly, before closing the damper to conserve energy when the fireplace is not in use, the flue should be clean and dry.

Water does more damage to chimneys than fire, so be sure you are keeping it out before you ‘close up’ the chimney. Chimney caps and crowns need to be in good condition and properly designed to send rain away from the flue and chase. Warm weather months are good ones for having professionals attend to tiny cracks in mortar around crowns and flashings. Spruce up your chimney along with the rest of the house in spring and this year, be prepared for what is coming.

Woodburning Fireplaces & Cleaning

As the last indoor fire of the season approaches, many homeowners are rightly beginning to think about cleaning the fireplace. Wood burning fireplaces release gases that condense as soot and later-stage creosote, so the chimney probably looks just as bad. It needs a thorough cleaning, too, but by a CSIA certified chimney sweep, who can also inspect it.

Cleaning the Fireplace - Ann Arbor MI - Clean Sweeps MI

Just the Fireplace?

The firebox itself can be cleaned by do-it-yourselfers who do not mind getting dirty, although certified sweeps should check their work. Responsible for the whole system, chimney sweeps generally work through the entire system to make sure it is in safe working condition. That is the way to also approach cleaning the fireplace, so if you are determined to do it yourself, wait for the sweep to finish first.

After all, his inspection might reveal that the flue is improperly sized for the fireplace and you need a different fire box. It would be a shame to spend time and energy doing a really dirty job that was pointless given new work in the fireplace. If you are new to wood-burning fireplaces and their cleaning, our advice is to start with a check of your system by a certified sweep.

You can ask as many questions as you want; there is no charge for answers and there is much to learn. Once you are sure that you have a fireplace worth cleaning, you will probably stick with professional care because of the chimney’s importance to safety. Even if you do not, you will start with a clean system and be better prepared to do the fireplace and flue again in the fall.

Cleaning Is Not Inspecting

Wood burning fireplaces are wonderful, but they produce combustibles that cannot be allowed to remain in chimneys. Special brushes and solvents and a lot of elbow grease can remove them, but they cannot report the condition of your liner and mortar. Take advantage of the experience and knowledge a certified chimney sweep offers before deciding whether or not to clean the fireplace yourself in the future.

Clean Sweeps of Michigan's Blog

Sprucing up Your Chimney for Spring

Woodburning Fireplaces & Cleaning

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