Section Two
Q. How often should I have my chimney cleaned?
This a tougher question than it sounds. The simple answer is: The National Fire Protection Association Standard 211 says, "Chimneys, fireplaces, and vents shall be inspected at least once a year for soundness, freedom from deposits, and correct clearances. Cleaning, maintenance, and repairs shall be done if necessary." This is the national safety standard and is the correct way to approach the problem. It takes into account the fact that even if you don't use your chimney much, animals may build nests in the flue or there may be other types of deterioration that could make the chimney unsafe to use.
We recommend that open masonry fireplaces should be cleaned at 1/4" of sooty buildup, and sooner if there is any glaze present in the system. Factory-built fireplaces should be cleaned when any appreciable buildup occurs. This is considered to be enough fuel buildup to cause a chimney fire capable of damaging the chimney or spreading to the home.
Q. My fireplace smokes. What can I do?
There are a multitude of reasons for smokey fireplaces. We have included an entire section on smoking problem fireplaces in the fireplace area web page, and we suggest you go there for a better discussion of this problem.
Q. My fireplace stinks, especially in the summer. What can I do?
The smell is due to creosote deposits in the chimney, a natural byproduct of woodburning. The odor is usually worse in the summer when the humidity is high and the air conditioner is turned on. A good cleaning will usually help solve the bad odor problem, but sometimes won't solve the problem completely. We use commercial chimney deodorants and chemical washes that work pretty well to help eliminate that awful odor.
The real problem is the air being drawn down the chimney, a symptom of overall pressure problems in the house. Some make-up air should be introduced somewhere else in the house. A tight sealing, top mounted damper will also reduce this air flow coming down the chimney.
Q. When I build a fire in my upstairs fireplace, I get smoke from the basement fireplace.
This has become quite a common problem in modern air tight houses where weather-proofing has sealed up the usual air infiltration routes. The fireplace in use exhausts household air until a negative pressure situation exists. If the house is fairly tight, the simplest route for makeup air to enter the structure is often the unused fireplace chimney. As air is drawn down this unused flue, it picks up smoke that is exiting nearby from the fireplace in use and delivers the smoke to the living area. The best solution is to provide makeup air to the house so the negative pressure problem no longer exists, thus eliminating not only the smoke problem, but also the potential for carbon monoxide to be drawn back down the furnace chimney. A secondary solution is to install a top mount damper on the fireplace that is used the least.
Q. I heat with gas. Should this chimney be checked too?
Without a doubt! Although gas is generally a clean burning fuel, the chimney can become non-functional from bird nests or other debris blocking the flue. Modern furnaces can also cause many problems with the average flues intended to vent the older generation of furnaces. We suggest you check the areas on gas and carbon monoxide for more information.
GLAZED CREOSOTE QUESTION:
I have an 80 year old home that was a longtime rental house. I have lived here five years and have been using the fireplace for four of those years. I do not know how long it has been since my chimney was swept (potentially decades, if ever). I just had a chimney sweep at my house and he informed me that the creosote in my chimney was quite thick (he used the term “level 3” creosote). He also said that in the smoke chamber, the brick is stepped (instead of smooth) and that there is a lot of dangerous buildup in there. He recommended two applications of an acid cleaning (which he said are not entirely foolproof, and work better above 45°F) and that we use a chemical when we burn our fire to help “chalkify” the creosote buildup. He showed me the buildup inside with a light and everything he said seemed to make sense. Does this sound like it's on the up and up? I can't find any info on this acid cleaning and I would like to know if this sounds like it is the proper course of action in a case like mine.
ANSWER:
What you have described sounds pretty typical. In addition to the chemical treatment that you mentioned, professional-grade chemicals, usually in the form of a powder, can be applied by chimney sweeps to help change the nature of the glazed creosote to a form that can be removed by a professional with a brush Both forms of these products require some heat such as you would find in a small fire in the fireplace.
If the creosote is gummy, about the only way to deal with the creosote is with a chemical treatment or with an acid application. Acid applications are not as commonly used since they are harder to apply and have to be neutralized a few days after application. If the creosote is crusty or fractures when hit (as opposed to gummy) a rotary cleaning can be helpful. Read our position statement on chemical chimney cleaning products here.
HOW DO I KNOW IF HE REALLY CLEANED MY CHIMNEY?
In the past, sweeps we’ve hired have always gone on the roof, checked the flashing, the mortar and all the workings of the chimney and then cleaned the chimney from the top of the house. Today, this sweep came in, looked into my fireplace from the bottom and said we don’t need it clean because he can still see the bricks. My asked to have it cleaned anyway. He then grabbed a wire brush and simply rubbed away any buildup from the main opening to the fireplace without even going up into the chimney to clean anything. Am I way off base, or did the sweep charge me without cleaning my chimney?
ANSWER:
Your past experiences with chimney sweeps sound as though the sweep did the job he was hired to do. However, your most recent experience sounds a bit odd. If the sweep agreed to do a complete sweeping and only cleaned the brick in the fireplace firebox, you did not get the service that you paid for. A complete chimney sweeping includes the chimney flue and smoke chamber.
In the future you could ask for a Level 1 chimney inspection and a chimney sweeping. If the sweep doesn’t know what a Level 1 inspection is, find one that does. A Level 1 inspection is detailed in the National Fire Protection Association 211: Standard on Chimneys, Fireplaces, Vents and Solid Fuel-Burning Appliances.
A QUESTION ABOUT RELINING:
"I am in the process of accepting bids from various companies to have my chimney relined. I need some education on proper fit of the area between my furnace and the flue.
My furnace has an 8” exhaust. Most of the estimates I have received involve the technician fabricating some sheet metal that funnels down from the 8” pipe to connect to a 6” liner that then goes up the chimney. The furnace in question is an oil furnace
boiler that does double duty as my water heater. Most of my estimates for liner replacement are predicated on use of 6” stainless steel tubes to bypass the eroding masonry that now exists. They would then hook up directly to my furnace which currently uses an 8” exhaust to connect to the chimney. I am not sure how this will be accomplished in all cases, but I have been advised of several different methods.
One company pointed out that the difference between the size of the existing exhaust pipe and the liner could negatively affect the draw of the chimney. They stated that the inside of the chimney needed to be gutted, after which it would be able to accommodate a 7” liner. This would result in the difference between the exhaust pipe and the liner of only 1” and that would be sufficient to ensure proper draw.
I have also been told that most modern furnaces use a 6” exhaust port. This further complicates matters, since the furnace I now have is very old and the end of its service life is probably sooner than later.
A 6” liner would fit easily inside the brick chimney, but accommodating a 7” stainless liner would necessitate rebuilding the chimney. This would increase the cost by 100% over other estimates. My question is, can I use a 6” liner with an 8” exhaust pipe from the furnace and still safely operate my furnace?
This leads me to several different scenarios:
Do I pass down a liner through the chimney but not connect it directly to the exhaust port of the furnace?
Do I connect to existing machinery with a 6” liner or a 7” liner?
If I connect with a 7” liner and later have to replace the furnace, am I faced with having to replace the 7” liner with a 6” liner so as to fit the new exhaust?
Chim Chimnee will help you answer all of your questions and make sure your sweep is a member of the National Chimney Sweeps Guild of America.....call us today!!!
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