Hearth Cleaner

Keeping a Healthy hearth

Like your car, the hearth area of the home needs a little TLC to keep it operational and to ensure a pleasurable experience. So let's cover the hearth, from top to bottom, for functionality and appearance.

chimney

Most chimneys do need to be maintained, which means year-round protection from both animals and the weather. Installing a chimney cap is the simplest and cheapest way to accomplish this.

Occasional cleaning of the chimney is also a necessity. Depending on the type and quality of wood burned, over years or even months the interior of a chimney and flue can accumulate a layer of creosote, which is a highly combustible material made up of almost pure carbon. In essence, it is the leftover carbon molecules from the wood that failed to get burned the first time inside the fireplace. These molecules rise up on the hot air in the chimney. Some are expelled outside, while others adhere to the interior of the chimney on their way up. A thick build-up of creosote is just waiting for a little spark to ignite, resulting in a chimney fire, which burns incredibly hot.

To remove this buildup correctly, cleanly, and safely, here's the drill for the do-it-yourselfers:

• Open the damper of the fireplace and, using a strong spotlight, look up way inside to determine the condition of the interior as well as the level of creosote in the chimney. This is fairly easy if you know what to look for. As far as condition is concerned, look for spaces and cracks in the surface. For creosote, look for a grayish/black buildup. If this is grayer in color and not shiny, it can be easily removed with the proper sized chimney brush. On the other hand, if it is black and shiny, it will be more difficult to remove and may require a special spray-on powder that helps turn the tough black glaze to a more brittle state. It can then be removed with a chimney brush.
• The flue/chimney should be cleaned with either a metal or plastic brush. Orange clay flue tiles need to be cleaned with a wire brush, while round metal flues should be cleaned with a plastic brush to avoid scraping the metal surface. Before cleaning any chimney, make sure the opening into the house is sealed up to avoid expelling dust, ash, and soot into the living area. If you use a vacuum to suck up the soot, make sure it comes equipped with a HEPA filter to trap the dust. Please test how this works with a small amount before completing the job.

How careful you need to be in the cleanup depends on whether you are cleaning a fireplace or a woodstove. Generally, I have found that woodstoves are set up in a way that the amount of dust that comes into the house is very small.

The access to the bottom of a woodstove usually makes it necessary to clean it from the top. For fireplaces, if the chimney is in good shape but is very high or hard to get to, the cleaning can be performed from the bottom. However, I have been cleaning chimneys for 10 +years and prefer to do the cleaning from the top. Plus, I am able to see if the chimney has a cap, and if it doesn't, then I recommend it to my customers.

The actual cleaning is fairly simple. You attach a series of rods to the brush to lengthen it as you proceed down the chimney. Cleaning is best accomplished with short, forceful, plunging motions, which will allow the brush to do its job. Once you've gotten down to the fireplace itself, you can then go inside, unseal it from the interior of the house, and vacuum up the debris.

fireplace

Always inspect the condition of your fireplace before the cold season closes in. One of the main things you should look at is the damper. How well does it close? Is it drafty when closed? Does it feel too loose, or is it rusted? If so, you might consider replacing it with a top-sealing damper, which cuts down on the draft and therefore saves on heating costs. I usually recommend the Lyemance top-sealing damper to my customers.

Are there unsightly stains at the back of the fireplace or on the glass doors? With the right cleaning products, these can easily be removed. For this I usually recommend Rutland brand chimney products, which are economical and effective.