Wood burning fireplaces are one of the most attractive and enjoyable features of a home, especially in areas that experience bitterly cold weather during the winter. But, if you don’t clean your fireplace regularly, it can become unsafe to use. The experts at https://www.thefireplacestore.ca/ explain when to know it’s time to clean your fireplace and how to get it done.
Why Clean Your Fireplace?
Before we get into when you should clean your wood burning fireplace, we want to explain why you need to clean it on a regular basis. Whenever you burn wooden logs in your fireplace, the byproducts of creosote and soot build up on the chimney, smoke chamber, firebox, and damper. Eventually, if the accumulation becomes too much, it will result in a blockage that will reduce the amount of heat you get from your fireplace and will make it extremely inefficient.
The bigger issue, though, is that creosote is highly flammable, so excessive buildup increases the risk of a chimney fire. It just isn’t safe to let your fireplace and chimney go without being cleaned regularly. Also, certain types of wood, like pine, produce more creosote than others, so you should avoid burning those woods and stick to low-creosote logs whenever possible.
When to Clean Your Fireplace
The specific answer is that your fireplace needs to be cleaned whenever creosote glaze is present. Even a thin layer of creosote accumulation can make your fireplace less efficient and can present a fire risk. More generally, though, you should have your fireplace cleaned and inspected at least once a year, if you only use it during the winter. This will ensure that not only your fireplace and chimney are clean, but there are no animals making a home in your chimney as well.
Of course, if you use your fireplace year-round, you will need to have it cleaned more often. It’s less likely that animals will use your chimney to build a nest if you’re using it frequently, but the amount of creosote that builds up in your chimney and other fireplace components will essentially double because you’re using it twice as often as people who only use it in the winter.
The Best Time to Clean Your Fireplace
Some homeowners have their fireplace cleaned at the end of winter or the beginning of the spring or at the end of summer or the beginning of fall. But, if you want to limit your fireplace cleaning to just once a year, the best time to have it done is before the burning season begins. This means that you should schedule your professional fireplace cleaning and inspection appointment at the end of summer. This way, even if you have an early fall and the weather starts to turn cold sooner, you’ll be ready with a clean fireplace.
Otherwise, you may not be able to use your fireplace for the first few cold days or nights of fall. Plus, you’re likely to run into the problem of getting scheduled since this is the industry’s busy season anyway. It’s best to get this chore done before the first cold snap of the year to ensure you can use your fireplace whenever you need it.
Conclusion
Getting your fireplace cleaned is one of those annual chores you just need to add to your list. Get it done so you can enjoy the heat from your wood burning fireplace for the entire winter.