Why you should clean your chimney

Sweeping your chimney is essential in keeping your stove not only clean and efficient, but also as safe as possible. With dirty or badly kept chimneys being the main cause of chimney fires, you need to make sure you keep swept up on your chimney care knowledge.

Sweeping your chimney is a vital part of owning a stove or fireplace. Even if you have a chimney liner, a regular sweep is essential for getting rid of any blockages or debris that can put you at risk of a chimney fire. A professional chimney sweeper will also be able to look out for any other hazards you may be unaware of. This could be cracks or other repair works that need doing to keep your stove running at its best and safest.

If you don’t clean your chimney, you are putting yourself at risk of chimney fires and carbon monoxide poisoning. The build up of soot, creosote and tar can block fumes from escaping and ignite under heat.

Creosote is a thick black substance that is caused by burning solid fuel. It forms when fire is burnt too slowly or burns incompletely. When the smoke cools and sticks to your chimney wall it turns into creosote.

You may see creosote in a number of different forms, such as the following:

Light soot – this isn’t a huge problem as long as you get your chimney swept regularly. It should be easy to remove with the correct brush.

Sticky tar-like substance – if you see this form of creosote, it is much more cause for concern. It can be difficult to remove and may require chemical cleaning.

A hard and thick layer – the most dangerous form and almost impossible to remove.

Once you have established a safe pattern of use, you should be able to space out your chimney sweeping to perhaps just once a year. But twice is generally advisable, and in practice it must be swept as often as necessary to keep it clean. Remember the adage, 'A clean chimney never caught fire!'