There’s nothing quite like sitting by the warm fire with a hot chocolate in your hands. When winter rolls around, you expect your fireplace to work as best as possible.
However, the efficiency of your fireplace will depend on the cleanliness of your chimney. Read on to learn how to keep your chimney clean now so that it is in good working condition for the future.
Burning Wood to Keep the Chimney Clean
Many homeowners are unaware that burning wood can actually help keep a chimney clean. The right woodcuts can reduce the number of creosote deposits and aid in keeping the flue clean.
Creosote buildup is the most common cause of chimney fires. You can follow these rules about wood to keep your chimney maintenance up to par:
Keep Wood Clean
The firewood you use should look like wood and nothing else. Don’t place anything in your fireplace that has been picked out of mud or water. A small amount of dried mud or dust is usually fine.
When a lot of mud is present on firewood, the mud will cook when used in the fireplace. The components of mud, minerals, clay, sand, silt and other organic material may vaporize or get carried away with the smoke.
When these components cool off, they travel up the flue and deposit there leaving your chimney dirty.
Keep Wood Dry
Wet wood and green wood should not be used in a fireplace. It could lead to a need for another chimney cleaning.
Wet wood won’t burn well and green wood has too much moisture. You won’t get wet wood to burn until it has dried off.
If you attempt to use wet or green wood, a lot of heat will be needed to get the moisture out. As the heat attempts to flame the wood, steam will head up to the flue and condense.
This is not a good thing for the flue. When you continue to burn wet wood, you’ll need a chimney cleaning more frequently.
To avoid this issue, purchase firewood at least 6 months before you want to use it. This will give the wood time to season and dry up.
Only Use Firewood
Honest firewood is the only thing you should be using in your fireplace. Using construction debris, old furniture, or treated lumber is never recommended.
Alternatives to firewood have preservative chemicals, varnish, and other things you don’t want in the air. Non-wood products like this will end up in the flue.
These chimney deposits are also highly flammable. Even though all firewood will deposit some creosote, burning only firewood is the best opinion.
Eventually, you will need to clean your chimney if you are using the fireplace. You can also hire a chimney cleaning service like Mr. Soot Chimney for professional help.
Is It Time to Clean Your Chimney?
If you haven’t cleaned your chimney in over a year, it’s probably time to get it done. Along with regular maintenance, you can keep your chimney as clean as possible by following the tips in this guide.
Chimney cleaning is essential to the efficiency of your fireplace and the overall safety of your home.
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