Fireplace Cleaning
Fireplace cleaning is often neglected at a very heavy cost. It is not considered as one of ‘the must do things’ in the fireplace maintenance. This negligence may put you and your family at a high risk for chimney and flue fires. It must be borne in mind that 35% of the fire incidents in the households are caused by the indoor fireplaces. So it is essential to check up your fireplace and chimney for signs of build up and potential fire risks.
You must clean your fireplace at least once in a year, though you use the fireplace at least four times a year. The best time to clean your chimney is between the late springs and the early fall.
Check Up Your Hardware
The first thing is to check up the damper. It is hardware in your fireplace that controls and regulates the air allowed inside the fireplace and chimney. It is a cast iron frame and has cast iron hinged openings. It is located in the throat of the chimney just above the fireplace. The dampers are incrusted with creosote, soot and misdirected ash.
The best way to check the damper is to open and close the damper many times. It should open and close freely without any obstruction. Look for the debris that may have collected around it. It may be restricting the free flow of air. Use a flashlight to check around the damper area for any cracks or the rusted parts of the metal. The damper may have broken or corroded.
Material Used Of Cleaning
You should get short chimney brushes, stiff bristled brush and flue cleaners, vacuum cleaner, broom and metal canister with a lid. You must also wear safety goggles and a dust or respirator mask. Spread some newspapers or a large tarpaulin sheet in front of the fireplace before you start the operation clean up. These things will protect your precious rugs or carpets from being stained with black soot.
The first step is to clean the flue with short hard bristled brush with strong strokes. Also scrub hard the outer area of the damper until it is completely free of its carbon deposits.
Remove the ashes from the fireplace hearth area and damper and place them in the metal canister.
Vacuum the surrounding floor thoroughly. Make sure that you clean up all the inflammable materials as your vacuuming.
You may use bleaching powder with water or a degreaser to remove any soot that may have deposited or hardened on the fireplace glass or the external decorative brickwork.
