For many homeowners in the southern parts of the United States, the chimney is one of the most oft-neglected components of the house. But if you ever use your fireplace, it shouldn’t be.
The fact of the matter is that your chimney is susceptible to problems if you ever use it and fail to clean it. Fires could emerge or spread far more quickly than they should. Pests may set up camp inside your chimney without your knowledge. And the airflow could become restricted, meaning the chimney just won’t do its job.
But you can avoid all those issues, or at least reduce the likelihood of them, by following Southline Roofing’s four simple clean-up tips.
Work To Clean The Chimney From Inside The House
Unless you’re a professional roofer or chimney cleaner and you have a lot of experience walking along slanted roofs, your best bet here is going to be to clean the chimney from the inside. The goal is to make the cleaning process as easy as possible, and adding the additional element of the danger that comes with being on an uneven roof does not really help you do that. You can still be very thorough and comprehensive with your cleanup job from the inside.
Safety First
Like with any physical task, you’re going to want to take some safety precautions. A dust mask is essential for a chimney cleaning when you’re working from the ground, as are goggles and gloves. And while you’re not going to be expecting a fire to start while you are cleaning, it’s never a bad idea to have water and a fire extinguisher nearby just in case.
Clean The Chimney Flue
In order to reach the highest heights of the interior of the chimney, you’ll need a special brush and a rod to connect to the brush. Once you’ve connected the brush with the rod, be sure to clean the flue with directly vertical, up and down motions with the brush. This will ensure you’re not smearing the debris across the inside of your chimney, but that you are getting it off the wall and actually cleaning the chimney interior. Start at the top and work your way down. You’re not going to want to reach all the way up there with the rod again because you accidentally pushed some soot upward. Start with the hardest part of the cleanup and save the easiest for last.
Clear Out Any Soot Or Ashes That Have Accumulated Inside Your Chimney
Last but not least, any soot or debris that may have fallen from the walls of your chimney interior during the course of your cleanup job is going to have to go. Use your gloves and your brush to sweep the fallen soot into a garbage bag, and then dispose of it safely.
Are you in need of immediate roofing repairs or a roof replacement? The team at Southline Roofing is here to help. Contact us today!
