04/07/2017
HOW OFTEN SHOULD I CLEAN MY FIREPLACE?
Is there a bomb in your house? Of course not, right? Well, let's ask this then, do you have a chimney that hasn't been cleaned in a while? Then you may very well HAVE a bomb in your house! Read on to find out why.
Is there a bomb in your house?
Well, guess how the Great Fire of London started in 1666?
Guess how the Great Chicago Fire started blazing in 1871?
Danger Lurking
You may think that a fire in a fireplace goes up, up, up but instead it clings, clings, clings to your chimney and builds up residue on the flue, the chimney’s interior shaft designed to vent smoke and fumes to the exterior of the building. Such residue, known as creosote, a thick, oily brown and flammable tar that coats the flue when the fireplace is used, is responsible for the most intense and destructive fires that occur in homes. Over time, a chimney flue can become a powder keg, literally awaiting the next fire as a catastrophic detonator.
More than one-third of Americans use fireplaces, wood stoves and other fuel-fired appliances as primary heat sources in their homes. But many people are unaware of fire risks when heating with wood and solid fuels. According to the US Fire Administration (USFA), an entity of the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), heating fires account for 36% of residential home fires in rural areas every year. Such fires often are due to creosote buildup in chimneys and stovepipes. The USFA recommends that all home heating systems require regular maintenance to function safely and efficiently.
How Often Should A Chimney Be Cleaned?
We know what you’re thinking – it all depends on how much you use the chimney. Right? Wrong! “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," according to the National Fire Protection Association Standard 211. The standard accounts for the fact that even if you don't use your chimney very much, animals may build nests in the flue or there may be deterioration that could make the chimney unsafe to use.
The Chimney Safety Institute of America recommends that open masonry fireplaces should be cleaned at levels of 1/4" soot buildup, and sooner if there is any glaze visible 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. If your chimney also needs cleaning, you will probably spend between $100 and $300, but keep in mind that the cost of major chimney repairs, resulting from neglect, can cost thousands of dollars or more.
When I Build a Fire in My Fireplace Upstairs, Why Is there Smoke in the Fireplace Downstairs?
This phenomenon, better known as “backdrafting,” is a symptom of overall pressure problems in the house that can cause smoke to be drawn down through the chimney and into the living space as opposed to being expelled to the exterior when the fireplace is in use.
This issue 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.
Should I Have My Gas Chimney Checked?
By this point, we hope you don’t need to venture a wild guess to figure this out – of course you should check a gas chimney! Although gas is generally a clean burning fuel, the chimney can become nonfunctional from bird nests or other debris blocking the flue. Modern furnaces are often vented into chimney flues and can also cause many problems with the average flues intended to vent the older generation of furnaces.
Is Unseasoned Wood Safer?
This also may seem counterintuitive but the answer is “no.” Many people think that unseasoned wood takes longer to dry and produces a solid, crackling fire. However, the extra smoke and lower temperatures associated with unseasoned wood also means greater and faster creosote build-up.
Keep the Fire Glowing and Keep Safe, All at the Same Time
Chimneys are like most other parts of the house – practice common sense and chances are, the chimney will last a lifetime.
Never leave a fire unattended and keep a close eye (or two) on children and pets.
When finished enjoying the fire, make sure it is fully extinguished before leaving the room.
Install smoke and carbon-monoxide detectors around the house.
For homeowners who have the ability to get on the roof and look down the chimney flue, be very careful – look for signs of damage, cracks in tile liners, rust on metal liners, or cracked masonry/missing mortar.
There’s no substitute for an inspection from a certified chimney professional; chimney specialists can deploy special microcameras that examine all parts of the chimney flue.
