How to Sweep your own Chimney
October 18, 2014 in How to Sweep your own Chimney
If you are looking to do some basic home maintenance, one project that you might come across is the need to clean your chimney. Please be aware that sweeping your own chimney is certainly a messy and time consuming project to tackle by yourself, but you can do it. Here is a more detailed look at what a chimney sweeping project entails.
To
get started on this
home cleaning project, you will
need a tarp, flexible metal
rods, some tape, a mirror, a
chimney broom, a vacuum, a
flashlight, a mask, and some
safety goggles. Make sure
that you wear the mask and
goggles at all times to protect
your eyes and lungs, and keep
the tarp covering the area near
your fireplace to keep soot and
ash off of your furniture and
carpet.
Secure a drop-cloth and tarp with tape into place over your fireplace in your living room so no air can escape. You should also shut your fireplace door if it has one because cleaning will bring a great deal of creosote down and there is no real way to keep the soot from escaping the fireplace and entering your house without blocking it completely. Therefore, drop-cloths, tarps, and masks are essential in this part of your home cleaning job. Next, go up on your roof and remove your chimney cap. Attach your correctly sized cleaning brush to the flexible metal rods, and start cleaning the flue from the top down. Work your way toward the bottom of the chimney, adding more rods as necessary until you are able to cover the entire surface of the flue. When you are done, use the chimney broom or vacuum to sweep or vacuum up all of the soot and ash that has fallen into the fireplace. Your chimney is now clean! Replace your chimney cap and remove the drop-cloth and tarp when the job is complete.
Please be aware that while you will be able to remove a lot of creosote from the chimney using this technique, it does not account for the professional safety inspection that your chimney sweep would also do when cleaning your chimney.
