Chimney sweeping and cleaning in Boulder.

1. What a sweep takes out.

   Wood smoke cools as it rises and leaves creosote on the inside of the flue. It starts as a dry, flaky soot. With cool fires and a slow draft it turns crusty, and then it can harden into a shiny glaze that is far harder to remove.

   A sweep takes that deposit out of the flue, the smoke chamber and smoke shelf above the damper, and the firebox, so it leaves the house instead of waiting in the chimney for the next fire.

   

2. How often, by the inch.

   How often to sweep depends on how much you burn, not on the calendar. The Chimney Safety Institute of America rule of thumb is to sweep at 1/8 inch of buildup, and sooner if the deposit looks glazed.

   The National Fire Protection Association separately recommends an inspection every year. That yearly look is when the buildup gets measured, so the two usually go together.

   

3. Why a clean flue matters.

   Creosote is fuel. A chimney fire is that deposit catching, inside a flue that was built to carry smoke, not flame. A clean flue leaves a stray spark nothing to catch on.

   A clean flue also draws better: smoke and the gases that come with it go up and out instead of rolling back into the room when the fire is lit or the damper is opened.

   

4. Wood stoves and inserts.

   A stove turned down low for a long, slow burn runs cool, and cool smoke is exactly what leaves creosote fastest. The stove pipe between the stove and the chimney collects it first.

   Cleaning a stove covers the stove pipe and its joints, the flue or liner above it, and the cap at the top, so a stove that heats the house all winter is not doing it through a narrowing pipe.

   

5. The top of the stack.

   The cap and its screen sit where the smoke has cooled the most, so soot collects there too. A clogged screen slows the draft, and the same screen is what keeps embers from landing on the roof in fire season, so a clean chimney is clean all the way to the top.

   

6. A smoky smell in summer.

   Creosote in the flue gives off a smoky smell when the air is warm and humid, and a draft down the chimney carries it into the room. A sweep removes the source; a damper that seals and a cap help keep it outside.

   

Book a sweep