Fireplace, Wood Stove and Chimney Safety

Here in the Pacific Northwest where many people burn wood for heat there are many scary and unsafe chimneys and wood burning appliances. I would like to believe that just about anyone could guess that a chimney and wood stove or fireplace will, eventually, require cleaning, maintenance and service. That advice applies to masonry and the assorted metal chimneys.

I want to believe that people can figure this out, but that obviously is not the situation. Recently I was witness to a neglected masonry chimney. The black, oozing creosote was an inch thick and caked inside from the top clear down to the homemade, and inefficient, wood stove below. The system was cranking nothing but waste products up the chimney. Creosote is flammable, so it is important to clean and maintain a chimney.

It seems that most people with wood stoves, fireplaces and pellet stoves do not pay enough attention to them. Lots of people make the situation worse by burning green wood that is not seasoned. The average consumer might take these basic systems for granted but they are dangerous to life, limb and property if they are neglected. As a home inspector, who does not work on chimneys or wood burning appliances but sees many of them, I know that it is important to have such devices cleaned and serviced by a specialist on a regular basis. In fact the National Fire Protection Association has stated that a Level 2 chimney inspection should be part of every sale or transfer of property. The scope of this inspection is intrusive, well beyond any inspection done by a home inspector, and is performed by a trained and licensed chimney professional.

Steven L. Smith, owner of King of the House Home Inspections, is a licensed structural pest inspector and a certified home inspector in Bellingham WA. Smith is the program coordinator for the college level home inspection training program at Bellingham Technical College. To contact Steven Smith, please call 360-676-6908 or his Email address is steve@kingofthehouse.com

Chimney Sweep - Why A Clean Chimney Can Be A Life And Death Matter

Having a fireplace can be one of life's simple pleasures. Who doesn't like sitting next to the open fire with friends and family? Along with having a fireplace comes the matter of keeping the chimney clean with a chimney sweep. But what is it and why is it so important?

Did you know that the leading cause of house fires that have fireplaces in them is a chimney fire? Far too many people die needlessly every year because of a fire that started in a dirty chimney. This is why it's vital to have a chimney sweep every year or at least every 2 years.

What is a chimney sweep?

Chimney sweeping is basically taking a brush and sweeping the sides of your chimney from the top all the way down to the bottom.

A chimney sweep will break off materials that have built up on the sides of your chimney. When wood burns, it gives off various by products during the burning process. These by products create the black soot you see on the inside of your chimney. This layer of soot is extremely flammable and has to be cleaned out.

Can I do it myself?

Yes, it is possible for you to clean your chimney yourself, but there are risks involved.

Safety is the most important consideration. You will be climbing ladders, going on steep roofs and trying to work through tall chimneys. This job isn't for everyone, that's for sure.

Add to this the fact you will get plenty dirty and will need to buy the equipment and you can see that hiring a professional chimney sweep may be your best bet.

A chimney cleaning company has the right equipment and knows fireplaces inside out. Plus, it is not overly expensive to have done.

Regardless of whichever route you take; be sure to have your fireplace cleaned on a regular basis. A chimney sweep may just save you from a potential disaster.

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By the way, you can learn more about a Chimney Sweep as well as much more information on all types of fireplaces at http://www.FireplacesA-z.com

How To Make Money As A Chimney Sweep

While the demand for chimney sweeps has dropped over the last century, there is still a significant market for the service. Anyone who has a wood stove, or fireplace that gets used for actual warmth generation has a regulatory requirement to get the carbon and creosote cleared from their chimney at least once every other year, as it's a fire hazard otherwise.

What this means to you is that there's a definite demand, and that the demand must be met, giving you a shot at a second income, or even a job to replace the one you've got. Chimney sweeps perform a specialized task; you'll need to apprentice under a current chimney sweep, which can take some time to find one willing to teach you. Once you've done that, you can take on clients of your own and do the work – typical fees for a chimney sweep are about £60 or £120 or so for a basic service that has to be done once a year. On the job, sweeping a chimney takes about two hours, tops, and can be much less than that.

Now, to run your own business, you need a bit of business savvy, and some common sense. The business savvy comes from advertising. You'll need to let people know you're offering the service; this can be done as simply as going door to door in the late summer and early fall, which is when most folks have their chimneys swept. However, it's probably more efficient to take out an advertisement in the local telephone directory; the odds that someone has a chimney and doesn't have a telephone are pretty slim in this day and age. Similarly, running advertisements in the local newspaper, or in the local weekly alternative paper is probably worth doing.

The common sense, sadly, is less common than the business savvy. You need to be prompt, professional and tidy. While chimney-sweeping is a dirty job, there's no need to go tracking soot across someone's floor or rug. You're making a professional appointment – be timely; show up when you're supposed to. If you are unavoidably delayed, do have the courtesy to call ahead and let your client know.

All that said, there are some other factors to consider. First, you'll need to buy some specialized equipment; it's not terribly expensive, generally a few hundred pounds, but it is a capital investment in the business. Still, with a bit of pluck and some hard work, you'll soon be sweeping in the money on a part time job where you don't have to answer to someone else. That in itself is often a significant benefit!

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