How to Sweep Your Own Chimney

Flue fires can be like volcanoes, with sparks and hunks of burning creosote shooting out of the chimney. The real danger is that this fire can spread to the rest of the house through the walls or attic, or the clinkers spewing from the chimney can set the roof on fire. That's why your chimney needs a thorough and periodic cleaning not only to prevent a chimney fire, but also to maintain the efficiency of your fireplace or woodstove. Here is the step-by-step procedure for sweeping your own chimney. Before you begin, obviously, ensure that all coals are entirely extinguished and your chimney is cold.

Things You'll Need

• Flashlight
• Ladder
• Sheet of paper large enough to cover the opening of your fireplace
• Strong adhesive tape
• Heavy abrasive instrument with extra weight, explained in step #3
• Rope
• Plastic tarp
• Hand-held wire brush or scraper
• Protective face mask
• Small, hand-held broom
• Dustpan or scoop
• Metal bucket

Instructions

1. 

   Inspect your chimney. This requires the flashlight and ladder. Examine your chimney from the top and the bottom. You're looking for the highly combustible mixture of soot and creosote, the by-product of burning wood or coal. A creosote buildup of a quarter-inch or more should be removed. At this time, you also should carefully measure the inside dimensions of your chimney in order to build your brush in step 3. Neither an oversize nor an undersize brush provides adequate cleaning. Consistently smoky fires are another indicator that the chimney is dirty. When the smoke shelf is piled with residue, instead of deflecting cold air back up the chimney, it channels air down into the fireplace, thus blowing smoke onto the hearth. You should inspect your chimney for other defects, too, such as loose bricks or cracked flue lining.

2. Prepare for the mess. Seal off the fireplace chamber or woodstove by taping the sheet of paper over its main opening. Make sure the tape-and-paper job is airtight so that not a trickle of soot can leak out into the house. Leave the damper open (otherwise, you'll have to open it later and get a cascade of soot in your face). Some fireplaces have removeable dampers.

3. Assemble your brush. Fasten four heavyweight floor scrubbing brushes to a central block of wood. The block should be as long as the brushes, and square so that one brush with its bristles facing out can be attached to each side. Then hook weights (approximately 20 pounds) to this four-sided brush, and the whole assembly is suspended from a rope that's as long as the entire chimney. This is called the "Line and Weight Method," and is equally functional with either removeable chimney caps or permanently fixed caps. As an alternative to crafting your own brush, several companies offer brushes in an assortment of shapes and sizes. Abrasiveness is essential in order to break loose the creosote that has baked onto your bricks and mortar. Some fire departments use chains to clean chimneys.

4. 

   Climb back up on the roof, and bring your brush with you. There are two variations, depending on your style of chimney cap.
   A. If your chimney has a removeable cap, or no cap, then let down the weighted end of your brush into the flue. Tug it back up, and then let the weight tow it back down. In this way, cause the brush to rise and fall several times.
   B. If your chimney has a permanently fixed cap, then you need to insert one end of the rope through an opening in the side of the cap. Allow this end to drop to the bottom of the flue. Now attach this end to your brush-and-weight assembly. From the roof, drag the brush up. Repeat this up-and-down motion as described in "A," above.

   With either method, be careful not to knock out mortar joints or to break the flue lining. When you're done sweeping, clean the outside of the chimney around the cap.

5. Return to your fireplace or stove in order to clean the chamber itself. A precaution before re-entering the house is to lay down the plastic tarp to walk on. No sense depositing more soot while you're trying to get rid of it. Then remove the tape-and-paper covering from the opening after the soot has settled. Now using the small broom and dustpan, remove all the soot that has already fallen into the chamber. Put on the face mask to protect yourself from breathing any harmful dust. Then climb into the fireplace as far as you can, and begin brushing with the smaller, handheld wire brush, like the kind house-painters use for removing old paint. Also polish up the smoke shelf.

6. Shovel into the bucket all the ashes from the chamber and smoke shelf. Don't use plastic garbage bags because soot has static electric charges and it clings to the outside of plastic bags. Then it falls off onto your rug or furniture. The ash is perfect for the compost pile. Or put directly onto the garden, it discourages cutworms. Slugs don't like it either since they avoid abrasive surfaces.

7. Finally, scrub yourself. Although skin cancer was discovered early among chimney sweeps, the primary reason for this "trade disease" was low standards of personal hygiene in the 1800s. There is no danger to anyone who'll make good use of soap and water.

Tips & Warnings

• Dry, seasoned hardwood, such as oak or birch, contributes less to the formation of creosote than wet or green logs, or softwood such as pine or fire, because creosote forms in the presence of moisture.

• Clean your brush after use, and coat it with a rust preventative.

• Wear appropriate eye protection, gloves and an approved dust mask.

• All work that involves ladders and working on the roof requires proper safety precautions.

• Beware of electrical hazards.

• Keep brushes, tools and supplies away from children.

• Brushes made with tempered spring wire can injure eyes or puncture skin.