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For many of us, it’s still much too warm to make a fire in the fireplace, but before you do, it’s wise to hire someone to clean the chimney. They’re more known as chimney sweeps and are usually worth whatever it costs to hire them.
The days are gone when you could lower a small boy into a chimney with a broom and force him to clean the soot and creosote from the stovepipe of the fireplace. That may never have happened, but the notion was eternalized by Charles Dickens in the stories of the orphan boy, Oliver Twist, who was sold to a chimney sweep.
Clean the chimney sweeps UK every winter season if you burn a lot of wood. Chimney fires can be caused by a build-up of soot and creosote and can get a chimney fire that can really mess up a house by burning flammable portions of dry roofs.
I’ve witnessed chimney fires and if it’s a big one, it can look like a Roman Candle on steroids. However, it can be a big problem, If the roof is dry.
Why clean out the chimney stack before you use it? Gases from the fire go up the chimney with the smoke. Depending on the temperature of the blaze in the firebox, the gases either solidify or liquefy. When they combine they form creosote, which isn’t a good thing because it’s combustive.
Creosote sticks to the walls of your chimney stack in thick form or as a golden glaze inside the stovepipe lining. This residue can ignite when there’s a roaring fire coming out of the fireplace. Small flames on the top of the chimney that can not be seen from the ground, are the main reason for numerous house fires.
Burning seasoned wood can keep creosote problems to a minimum. Oak that has been aged for at least a year is my preference in wood. Hickory is a hot burner, but because of the sparks it emits, a fireplace screen is a necessity.
I have not burned a lot of pine in the fireplace because it just smolders rather than burns brightly. It works the same way in wood-burning stoves. Pine, for me, is only good for camps.
A lot of smoke and creosote is emitted by Sweet Gum logs. It’s another wood that produces further smoke than fire.
A smoky fire is not what you want if you are trying to keep your chimney stack clean. Seasoned oak is my choice of fireplace energy, but indeed that will produce gases that can turn into creosote and stick to the inside of your chimney stack if you don’t have proper chimney sweep training.
Since nearly anyone can go to a hardware store and buy a set of stovepipe skirmishes and a vacuum cleaner to clean up the mess, it’s not a good idea to hire the first person you find on online websites.
Do not take chances with your fireplace. Get it checked out each time. The peace of mind in knowing that your home is safe when a roaring fire is going on in your den is worth the price of hiring a chimney sweep.
Original Source: Chimney sweep organisation UK