Chimney sweeping and cleaning in Lafayette.

1. What comes out of the flue.

   Wood smoke cools as it climbs and leaves a film of creosote on the flue wall. At first it is dry, flaky soot. With cooler fires and a sluggish draft it turns crusty, and in time it can harden into a glossy glaze that is much harder to remove.

   Sweeping brushes that deposit out of the flue and the smoke chamber, off the smoke shelf above the damper and out of the firebox, so it is carried away instead of sitting there until the next fire.

   

2. How often, by the inch.

   Frequency follows how much you burn, not the calendar. The Chimney Safety Institute of America advises sweeping once the deposit reaches 1/8 inch, and sooner when it looks glazed.

   A yearly inspection, which the National Fire Protection Association recommends, is when that buildup gets measured, so sweeping and inspecting usually travel together.

3. Why cleanliness counts.

   Creosote burns. A chimney fire happens when that deposit ignites inside a flue designed for smoke, not flame, and once the deposit is gone a stray spark has nothing to feed on.

   A clean flue also draws better: smoke and gases rise out of the house instead of spilling back into the room when you light the fire or open the damper.

   

4. Wood stoves and inserts.

   A stove turned low for a slow overnight burn runs cool, and cool smoke lays down creosote the quickest. It gathers first in the pipe that links the stove to the chimney.

   A stove cleaning takes in the pipe and its joints, the liner or flue above, and the cap on top, so that a stove carrying the heating load all winter never draws through a pipe that is closing up.

5. The top of the stack.

   Smoke is at its coolest by the time it reaches the cap, which is why soot builds up there as well. A clogged screen chokes the airflow, and that same mesh is what stops embers reaching the roof, so a chimney is only clean once its top is clean too.

   

6. A smoky smell in summer.

   Creosote odor strengthens in warm, humid weather, and a downdraft can push it into the room. Sweeping takes away the source; a sealing damper and a cap help hold the rest back.

Book a sweep