Considerable Safety Tips Regarding Chimney Cleaning

Cleaning and maintaining your chimney on a regular basis with suggested chimney cleaners and cleaning tips can prevent potential creosote fires. Choosing the right company for chimney sweeping in Bromley is a must to ensure better safety to your home.

Here are some useful tips that you must keep in mind to ensure safe chimney cleaning and maintenance so it lasts longer and keeps healthy.

·  Get a yearly inspection- Get the chimney inspected and swept, whenever needed. If the chimney (water heater/flue/fireplace & furnace) remains clean and free from any obstruction, there is little to no chance of carbon monoxide poisoning or a chimney fire.

·  Keep it clear- You must ensure that the top of the appliance remains free and clear of any overhanging tree branches or ivy.

·  Cap it properly – There must be a chimney cap installed on the flues. Chimney caps are typically made from stainless steel and thus they don’t rust while keeping out birds, squirrels, raccoons, rain, leaves as well as other debris to restrict the flow of flue gases in the chimney.

·  Choose the right fuel – It would be perfect to use well-seasoned hard wood as it yields the most heat for the wood stove or the fireplace. Wood split and stacked up for 6 months out the rain is dry enough to be used. Avoid burning Christmas trees and painted or pressure treated scrap lumber in the wood stove or fireplace.

·  Don’t use liquid fire starters – Don’t ever use liquid fire starters such as lighter fluid, gasoline and charcoal grill lighter to start the fire. Use fire starters especially designed for wood stoves and fireplaces. Apart from causing uncontrollable flames inside the property, such accelerators can also leave harmful residues that can ignite inside the flue or cause chimney fire. Your contractor for chimney sweeping in Bromley would be the right person to guide you regarding this.

·  Keep it free from furnishings – Always keep the furniture as well as combustible furnishings at least 3 feet away from the wood stove or the fireplace. Exposure to the heat may lower ignition temperature of any combustible item over time and they can easily catch fire.

·  Have screens in front of the fireplace – You should keep a fireplace screen or screened glass doors in front of the fireplace at least during operation. Flying sparks from the sappy wood can potentially burn holes in the furniture and in carpet. In case of glass doors, they should be kept open during operation of the fireplace. Don’t close them while the fire is burning. The glass is never rated for the temperature and thus the fire is likely to starve for oxygen while making the home smoke up.

·  Use smoke and carbon monoxide detectors – Some newer units automatically detect both carbon monoxide and smoke. Still you need to install both in the home. It would be best to place such detector on the ceiling as this is where the carbon monoxide and smoke will be.

·  Treat fire like a toddler – Yes, you must keep a watch on fire. Tumbling logs off the grate potentially knock over the fireplace screen and can cause a house fire. So don’t simply leave them unattended.

·  Choose the right contractor – Do your own homework while selecting a company for chimney cleaning. Check the kind of certification and training they have. You can get references from your friends and family as well.