Fireplaces have an important role in ensuring your comfort during winter. This is why it is a must that the chimneys connected with these fireplaces are kept clean regularly. One of the best ways to do so is to hire a professional chimney cleaning service.
Although they are the ones that will clean your chimney, you will still have to know how to prepare for a chimney sweep for the best result.
The first step in preparing for a chimney sweep is to make sure the fireplace is cold. You also have to make sure the fireplace, as well as the mantle, is clean of any ash, logs, or decorations. You also have to move any furniture around the furniture out of way, while ensuring the professionals can get easy access to the chimney.
Let’s take a detailed look at how you should prepare for a chimney sweep.
Preparing for a chimney inspection and cleaning
Chimney inspection and cleaning are very important to the health and safety of both you and your home. Doing so is a strenuous process, which can only be performed properly by trained and licensed professionals, like us at 832 Services. Despite that, we still need all the help we can get from you, the homeowners.
To make sure your chimneys are cleaned properly, there are a few preparatory steps you need to take. These steps are:
1. Ensuring the fireplace is cold
Since we have to gain access to your chimneys through your fireplace, you have to ensure it is totally cold. This will ensure we will be completely safe when entering your chimneys, as the temperature inside the chimney can get close to 600 degrees Celsius.
So, can you have a fire before the chimney sweep?
Well, to make sure your fireplace is cool enough for the professionals to enter, you should keep from using your fireplace 24 to 48 hours before the chimney sweep.
2. Cleaning the fireplace
The next step in making the area workable is to clean your fireplace of any logs or other large debris. This will ensure the professionals can get an even footing when they access the chimneys.
3. Cleaning the mantle
Your fireplace isn’t the only thing you should clear before a chimney sweep. People often like to decorate their mantles with various decorative items.
These items can be in the way of professionals when they clean the fireplace as well as the chimney. Not only that, but they can also get damaged if not removed during the cleaning process.
So, it’s best to clear your mantle before cleaning professionals arrive.
4. Moving the furniture
The chimney sweep team has to have clear and easy access to your fireplace for a thorough cleaning of the chimney. If you have any furniture in front of and around the fireplace, they will become obstacles for the cleaning team.
That’s why you must move all the furniture around the fireplace to make the cleaning procedure more efficient.
5. Covering heavy furniture
If you have some heavy furniture around the fireplace, then it might become too difficult for you to move them. In that case, you should cover them with plastic sheets, so that the debris and ash from the fireplace and the chimney don’t fall on and damage them.
Although the cleaning team will do everything so that your furniture is protected, you should cover them just in case.
6. Informing the cleaning team about concerns
The chimney sweeping team will inspect your chimney for damages and other issues and fix these issues accordingly.
But if you have any particular concerns, such as foul odor, etc, you should inform the cleaning team. Doing so will ensure that chimney-sweeping professionals can work easier and more efficiently.
7. Keeping pets and children out of the way
If you have children and pets in your home, make sure they have no access to the area where the chimney sweeping team is working in.
Otherwise, not only will they become a nuisance, but they will also put themselves in danger since the debris and ash of the fireplace and the chimney are dangerous to the human body.
Final Words
Chimney sweeping regularly is very important for the health and safety of the people inside a house as well as the house itself. Once you know how to prepare for a chimney sweep, you can ensure the work goes smoothly.
This way you can ensure you can enjoy the fireplace and its warmth for the next winter as well.
FAQ
1. How does a chimney sweep clean a chimney?
The chimney cleaning process is a detailed one, and it includes the use of a lot of brushes and other materials. The Chimney sweep will use various rods as well as brushes designed to clean the fireplace, chimney line as well as cap, and throat of the chimney.
2. How often should you have a fireplace cleaning inspection?
Chimney cleaning inspection should be done at least once a year. This will make sure your chimneys are in good condition after an entire winter of use.
3. What questions should I ask a chimney sweep?
During the chimney sweep process, you should ask as many questions as you need to the chimney sweeping professionals, which will ensure your safety in the long run. These questions include:
1. How will the chimney be cleaned?
2. Is there creosote in the chimney, and how much?
3. Can the other flues in the house be cleaned by them as well? Etc.
