When it’s time for annual fireplace maintenance, chimney sweep or do it yourself?

Regular maintenance and cleaning of your fireplace takes a little time but it will pay off in the long run allowing your fireplace to run at it’s maximum efficiency safely. First things first, an annual inspection of your fireplace/chimney is recommended by all local municipalities no matter where you live. Even if you have taken good care of your fireplace, animals can build nests, leaves can fall inside the chimney, vapors could accumulate and things you cannot see can also happen causing a possibly bad situation, maybe even hazardous.

Check out the Chimney Institute of America, it is a non-profit educational organization existing to provide chimney and venting safety resources to you, the homeowner. 

“The primary job of a chimney service professional is to aid in the prevention of fires related to fireplaces, wood stoves, gas, oil and coal heating systems and the chimneys that serve them. Chimney sweeps install, clean and maintain these systems, evaluate their performance, prescribe changes to improve their performance, and educate the consumer about their safe and efficient operation.”

When cleaning your wood burning fireplace, avoid chemicals and abrasive cleaners. For the glass, handles, and exterior surface, a soft damp cloth will work perfectly. “If you notice streaks or dirty glass, you can use a standard window cleaner such as Windex. Using a soft cloth, simply clean the glass while it is cool.”  

If you decide to clean your chimney yourself, the first task is to clean the creosote, the source of most chimney fires, out of the chimney. Running the proper-sized chimney brush up and down from the top of the chimney is the best method. First, seal off the fireplace opening in the room. 

Moisture is the main culprit in masonry chimney failures. Brick, concrete and mortar seem hard, but they are permeable to water. While you are up on the roof cleaning out the creosote, inspect the cement chimney crown. Brush away any loose pieces. If it is still basically intact and just has some cracks and pits, coat it with a elastomer crown repair material. You can select a brush- or trowel-on material. It stays flexible and seals better than mortar. 

A deteriorated/loose flashing can be another way for water to enter the chimney. Installing new flashing is best, but most homeowners find it much easier to use a flexible flashing repair compound. It is brushed on over the flashing. Next, inspect the mortar joints. Remove any loose mortar and fill it with mortar or a concrete-colored elastomer sealant. Finally, seal the entire chimney exterior with a water repellent. Be sure to select one which allows the masonry to breathe so moisture does not get trapped. 

There's no “one-size-fits-all” rule for how often to clean your chimney or what to use when you do it. It is always best to contact your local fire inspectors office and ask what they recommend before deciding on anything where your families safety is concerned.  

(information obtained for this article are merely recommendations by homeowners, not something that should be attempted without careful consideration.) 

Fireplace Bans Aren't the End of the World

Burn Ban Leads to Fireplace Abuse

You know, we don't talk about it enough in the fireplace industry, but air quality is a legitimate concern, especially in densely populated areas that are already suffering from industrial pollution and heavy automobile emissions. That's why I don't always have a problem with periodic bans on wood burning fireplace use. In many areas, it just makes more sense to have a gas line installed and to outfit the existing wood-burning fireplace with state-of-the-art gas logs and an appropriate set of fireplace glass doors.

Myself, I don't live in a densely populated area where smog and ozone alerts are a part of daily life. Even so, I do think about the environmental impact of burning real wood.

Luckily, because I spent so many years in the industry, I have two fireplaces in my current home. The one in the den is a traditional wood-burner, while the other, in the living room, is a gas fireplace that heats things up nicely, even on its lowest setting. I can therefore limit my wood burning to special occasions like Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and that first chilly morning in October when, let's face, nothing else will do.

Obviously, as I said, I'm lucky -- at least in the fireplace department. Most people find themselves in an either/or situation, weighing aesthetics and value against tradition and charm. As a result some people, like the author of this piece from a New York Times blog, end up making all sorts of, well, unfortunate decorating decisions. That's the blogger's randomly decorated fireplace at the top of this post. If you honestly think that looks good, I'd love to hear from you.

Now, I'm not bashing the woman who wrote this article. Her heart's in the right place, and she's clearly working with what she's got. Also, not everyone lives in a house or apartment that can easily be hooked up to a gas line, especially in The City. What I don't understand is why people feel the need to turn a fireplace into something it is clearly not, in this case a knee-high display case for random odds and ends.

I mean, look at the thing again. I'm sorry, but it reminds me of my first apartment after college. And that's a shame.

See, there is absolutely no reason that a non-working fireplace has to be refashioned into something other than what it is. Indeed, if this were my house or apartment, I'd treat that ashy black hole no differently than I would a brand new wood-burner back in the day before we made such a mess of our atmosphere. In other words, I'd find the best glass fireplace doors I could afford and put some tools on the fireplace foot. Then I might even stack a few logs in wood holder at the opposite end, and pretend. I mean, nobody said you had to light the things, did they?