Monday, June 10, 2013

Portland Chimney Sweep Helps To Improve Fireplace Safety

By Grace Daniels


In regions where trees are plentiful as a resource wood is often used in order to heat the home. Whether used in a wood stove or a fireplace, wood provides a warm atmosphere at an affordable price. However, both fireplaces and wood stoves depend on chimneys or flues to remove the gases produced when wood burns. According to reports, flue fires are responsible for the loss of life as well as property damage. A Portland chimney sweep offers help to make the fireplace safe.

Regular cleaning of this structure in the home is essential to safe burning of wood products. The flue is responsible for directing smoke, carbon monoxide and other byproducts of combustion out of the house. When the flue is clean, the fireplace operates with greater efficiency and the buildup of highly flammable creosote is prevented.

Green firewood as well as wood from evergreens are higher in natural volatile compounds that form creosote than hardwoods that have been allowed to dry for a minimum of a year. Stacking wood in a dry location allows the volatile oils to evaporate naturally as the wood seasons. Leaving stove dampers open and burning a hot fire can help to prevent the buildup of creosote.

Even when owners use these steps in reducing the creosote buildup, the burning of any type of wood eventually leads to the material's buildup. Creosote is highly flammable and is often discovered as soot coating the damper as well as the walls of a fireplace, stove or flue. As the layer grows thick, it can eventually catch on fire. Flue fires can start quickly and spread to the home quickly.

When chimneys are coated in these thick deposits, the are less effective at drawing smoke and exhaust fumes from a fire. Although smoke filling one's home is one of the unpleasant experiences the problem can cause, a buildup of carbon monoxide is far more serious. This gas is odorless and colorless. It is a silent killer that can be a problem with any source of combustion.

Keeping chimneys clean ensures that the fireplace operates at the greatest efficiency. This helps to ensure the wood burned provides the maximum of heat while reducing the smoke that escapes into the house. The practices ensures one gets the greatest enjoyment from the wood that is consumed.

For greatest safety, it s recommended that owners have chimneys inspected for safety and cleaned a minimum of once every year. In addition, a buildup of soot on the damper or visible inside the fireplace indicates time for service. Other signs include smoke inside one's home when a fire is burning or a smell of smoke when the fireplace or stove is not being used.

Although consumers can purchase cleaning brushes to do the job for themselves, they may want to consider hiring professionals. Cleaning chimneys is a dirty job that involves working several feet above the ground. A Portland chimney sweep can do the job safely. They have the right tools to do the job correctly and can inspect chimneys to ensure they are working safely.




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