Tuesday 28 May 2013

Why A Chimney Sweep Is Important

By Frances Keith


Just like hiring a plumber or an electrician, there are times when the professional services of a chimney sweep are needed. Sweeping increases the safety and efficiency of a chimney. It also reduces harmful emission of fumes that could be backing into the house instead of moving to the outside.

Sweeping is done today, much like it was done hundreds of years ago. The primary goal today, as it was back then, is to remove the buildup of creosote left behind from the soot. Creosote can buildup to the point of completely blocking a chimney if not cleaned away on a routine basis and this creates a significant safety risk. Not only is the risk of fire more prevalent, but the health risk of breathing in excess smoke and soot is also prevalent.

When the air passage becomes blocked, fire does not have proper ventilation. Proper ventilation is needed to create the vacuum that automatically pulls the smoke up and to the outside. When this doesn't happen, the fire can not get enough oxygen and will not burn well. Smoke will also begin to flow into the room since it can not get to the outside.

Until a time comes that science can develop a way to burn both wood and coal without needing oxygen or without creosote being created, sweeping will be necessary. It is often referred to as a profession of the past, but in reality it is still very useful today. You could go as far as saying it is needed for the safety of a home to be maintained.

An uncontrolled fire is a bigger risk if a fireplace is not maintained. Sweeping is an affordable service and the process does not take much time to complete. This leaves homeowners with no real reason to not have it done. Safety should always be a main concern when choosing to pay for such services. Property and family are both protected from unfortunate events when sweeping is done routinely.

The process of sweeping involves more than just sucking soot out from the inside. The buildup of creosote actually requires a bit of force for it to all be removed. This is where the variety of brushes and other tools these professionals use are needed.

Brushes in varying sizes are used to reach every small area and insure all of the creosote has been removed. Larger brushes will remove the easy to reach areas with the easy to remove buildup. Smaller detailing brushes are used for small bends and other hard to reach areas of a chimney.

While there are several methods that are said to work well at keeping a chimney clear, a chimney sweep is needed for absolute certainty that the task is fully accomplished. Burning various chemicals may reduce the amount of buildup, but overtime some will still become present. Methods that help breakup up buildup that is already there can cause a big mess without a professional there to handle the job as well. When this buildup breaks free, the only place it has to go is down. This means the room can be filled with soot and the homeowner is left cleaning up the mess.




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