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Why Do You Need To Have Your Chimney Flue Cleaned?

Having your chimney flue cleaned is important to the health and safety of your family.  2nd Generation Chimneys is a Minneapolis chimney company that provides thorough chimney flue cleaning, call us today if you need to schedule an appointment!

The Importance of Having Your Chimney Flue Cleaned

When a fireplace or wood stove is used, smoke goes up the chimney where it finally reaches the outside air.  Creosote forms when wood is burned incompletely, or when it is a smoky fire without enough oxygen that causes black smoke to go up the chimney.  During this process the smoke often leaves behind creosote, a dark brown or black tar-like substance that gets deposited on the walls of the chimney.

Creosote can be a fire hazard if too much of it builds up on the inside walls of the chimney.

There are a few kinds of creosote that have differing degrees of stickiness and are each harder to remove than the previous one:

  • Soot that is feather-light and dull gray, brown or black in color that is easy to remove
  • Granular black accumulation that is still fairly easy to remove with a stiff chimney brush
  • Tar-like black coating that is very hard to remove, even with scrapers and power rotary whips
  • Shiny black coating that looks like the inside of the chimney has been glazed over and is nearly impossible to remove

Generally speaking creosote buildup happens during wood burning.  While gas fireplaces burn cleaner, they do let off a lot more moisture which can cause other kinds of build-up to occur.  Additional types of debris that can clog the chimney flue are droppings from animals, nesting of birds, and debris from the presence of insects.  The best way to prevent animals from nesting in the chimney is to have a chimney-top screen.

Having a professional chimney sweep  in Minneapolis such as those at 2nd Generation Chimneys perform your chimney flue cleaning will ensure that not only is it properly cleaned, but that any venting problems or chimney deterioration are identified, as well as any cracks in the liner are found and fixed, and that where applicable new liners are installed.

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