During Autumn we start to think about lighting our wood heaters to keep us warm and cosy. But when was your Flue cleaned last? As this can all come to a quick halt if your flue hasn’t been cleaned and a fire starts in your flue as they can quickly spread throughout your roof space and quickly into the rest of your home.
If your chimney/flue is left uncleaned a substance called creosote builds up on the walls of the flue and around the flue cap, if it continues to build up and get heavy it prevents your fire from drawing air and venting through your flue which could cause the leak of smoke and dangerous carbon monoxide fumes into your home.
There are certain signs to look for to know your Flue needs Cleaning
- Soot and creosote sometimes fall into your fireplace.
- You burn unseasoned or inadequately seasoned wood, that takes a long time to burn, or doesn’t burn completely.
- Thick and puffy black creosote is present inside the flue
- Smoke accumulates in the house when you have a fire
- You tend to keep the damper semi-open to slow the fire and keep it burning longer
- If you burn treated wood/ pine or can smell wood odours coming from your fire when it is out.
How Often Should I get my Chimney/Flue cleaned?
This does depend on how often you use your fireplace, and the types of wood you have burnt over the season. It is recommended that you should inspect your flue every 12 months for the build-up of creosote and if you can see creosote building up, it’s time to have your fire cleaned.
The best time to have your flue cleaned is when you are not using the fire, so over Summer or the start of Autumn, it’s always good to remember to source good seasoned wood that has been allowed to dry naturally over 2 years and to burn a hot fire that allows a fire to breath.
Gutter-Vac Central West have been Cleaning flues in Orange, Bathurst, Molong this past couple of weeks and if you have your Flue cleaned at the same time as your Gutters you will get our special discounted price as we are already set up on your roof. In Bathurst this week we also replaced the fire bricks in the fire box for a client.