Cleaning your chimney before winter sets in
KAYLEA HUTSON GateHouse Plus

Since the dawn of time, men have looked for ways to control fire to bring inside their home as a heating or cooking source.

Using fireplaces and stoves, many homeowners are once again turning to wood or pellets to provide heat as a way to combat a rise in fuel costs.

While a heat source is economical and safe, one area of attention - the chimney - is often ignored. Before cool temperatures make you long for the blaze of a roaring fire, think about checking your chimney to ensure no lingering debris is making it unsafe to use.

The best way to prevent a chimney fire is to establish a cleaning schedule that eliminates any creosote buildup. This schedule can range from once every couple of weeks to no less than once a year. The frequency depends upon how often you use the stove, the type of wood you burn, the type of wood burning unit you have and the way you operate the unit.

If a fire takes place

If the unthinkable happens and a chimney fire takes place, the first thing you should do is get outside of your home, meet your family at a pre-designated location, then contact the fire department.

If there is a fire in the stove or fireplace box, and you can safely approach it, extinguish the blaze with a multipurpose dry-chemical extinguisher. As some of the chemical travels up the chimney, it may extinguish the chimney fire.

Preventive measures: Things to know when getting started

One way to ensure you have a clean chimney is to hire a professional chimney sweep. These individuals are available in many communities and are educated on the proper way to clean chimneys safely and efficiently.

If you plan to tackle the project on your own, consider your physical condition first. This is not an easy task. Pulling a chimney brush the height of the chimney can strain the back and other muscles.

If you do decide to clean your chimney yourself, make these preparations before beginning the actual cleaning job.

• Gather the basic tools that you will need:

1. Powerful flashlight. 2. Drop cloths. 3. Wide masking or duct tape.

4. Ladder.

5. Mirror (helpful for looking up the chimney from the bottom).

6. Bucket.

7. Industrial-type shop vacuum (The fine dust can ruin the motor of a household vacuum; the dust can also slip through the vacuum's filter into the room.).

8. Goggles or a face shield. 9. Dust mask.

10. Old clothes and gloves.

• Make sure the chimney is structurally safe, as it could fall apart when a horizontal load such as a ladder or your weight leans against it.

• Before cleaning, take the damper plate out. It is usually attached to its support by a couple of cotter pins. Be careful - the metal can be brittle because of exposure to extreme heat.

• Using a flashlight, check the openings from the top and bottom for obstructions such as bird's nests. Check the extent of creosote buildup. The largest concentration of creosote should be in the upper one-third of the chimney.

• Seal off the fireplace opening by taping a damp sheet over it. On a wood-burning stove, remove the stovepipe from the chimney and cover the opening. If your chimney has an outside bottom clean out, make sure to open it before starting the cleaning process.

Cleaning the chimney

The best time to clean is when the chimney is still warm, because creosote comes off a warm surface easier than a cooler surface. Make sure the fire is completely out.

The best method for cleaning the chimney is to scrap it with a wire chimney brush. The brush may seem expensive, but it provides the best results for individuals who burn a lot of wood and need to clean their chimney out more than once a year.

Brushes are available in different sizes, depending upon the shape and size of the flue. Homeowners need to purchase a brush which is designed for their chimney.

Some brushes have a rope attached to one end to pull it up and down the chimney. If using this type of brush, attach a weight wrapped in cloth, to the other end, before pulling the brush down the chimney. The cloth ensures the weight does not damage the inside of the chimney.

Burning well-seasoned wood within the fireplace or stove can eliminate some creosote buildup. However, new "high efficiency" stoves allow less heat to escape through the flue, resulting in a buildup of the creosote on the walls of the chimney. One method which can help eliminate the build up, is burning an intense fire in the stove for at least one-half hour daily with the damper open.

Clean the smoke pipes by taking it carefully outside. Place a bag or bucket at one end to collect the creosote. Use a long handled wire brush to clean the buildup out of the pipe.

Cleaning up after "cleaning"

the chimney

Once you have the pipe clean, you'll need to clean up the creosote that has fallen to the bottom of the chimney.

When cleaning the fireplace, remove the seal from the opening, sweep the soot and creosote into containers. Be sure to clean the accumulated material on the smoke shelf above the damper. You will most likely want to use an industrial vacuum cleaner for this job. After this initial cleanup, use a wire brush to scrape off the deposits from the inside of the fireplace and from around the smoke shelf.

- Information courtesy Extension.Missouri.edu.