I just hired a chimney sweep. If somebody had told me 20 years ago that I’d be hiring chimney sweeps, I’d be weirded out.
This is totally rad.
Chimney Sweep
Opinions, art, debate
Opinions, art, debate
I just hired a chimney sweep. If somebody had told me 20 years ago that I’d be hiring chimney sweeps, I’d be weirded out.
This is totally rad.
Clarissa's Blog 
So you’re planning on using your fireplace this winter? With real fire?
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We used it throughout last winter and it was amazing! There’s nothing like a real fire.
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Completely rad! I hired someone to STAIN MY DECK and to CLEAN UP EAVESTROUGH on the roof. I have to write this in capital letters, because it is so unbelievably weird. And last year I hired someone to TUNE UP MY FURNACE to restore its efficiency.
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OK, you win. You are even more grown up than me. 🙂
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I didn’t know there were still chimney sweeps.
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I had no idea either. And now I’m going to meet one!
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Reality check.
Chimney fires cause by a buildup of creosote in the flue are common. The frequency of cleaning depends on the frequency of use. In a house relying on wood for heat (daily use of the chimney) then cleaning should be twice per year. If you use it a couple of times per month, then cleaning might be once every two years.
Another common fire risk requiring cleaning is the dryer vent (not the lint filter in the dryer, but the actual duct that vents the dryer to the outside of the home). That requires cleaning every couple of years. If you don’t know whether the previous owner of the house did it, you need to do it. Seen that first hand.
Bird’s nest are a risk for both dryer vents and chimneys. That’s why chimney caps and claps for dryer vents (levered doors that open when air is being pumped out) are recommended.
Finally, my next door neighbor’s chimney was taken down by lightning. Lightning rods are no longer common (they were the number one cause of fires in Colonial America) but they are prudent.
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I have an irrational fear of lightning striking my house. I really want to have a lightning rod.
We use the chimney a lot, unlike the previous owners who were from Turkey and never once used it. So now we definitely have to clean it before the new season.
Thank you, this is important, useful information.
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It doesn’t sound like your into DIY, but a lightning rod isn’t a hard project. You have a series of rods mounted every 12 feet cross the peak of the roof and chimney, with a cable leading off the roof to the ground and a ground anchor. You can find the directions and specs for the cable online. (If you have taller trees near the house, this is probably not a major concern. They’ll get hit first.)
However, ask any fire chief and you will get an earful on dryer vents. I know people who won’t leave the home with the dryer running, but since the fire starts either inside a wall or in a basement, by the time you become aware of it, you have serious damage.
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I have to disagree. Improperly installed lightning rods can result in your house being burned to the ground if lightning strikes the rods, and they don’t route the electrical charge safely off the house structure and away into the ground.
It’s not a DIY project for amateurs to try to save a few $$ on.
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Here in Arizona we don’t have unnecessary house structures like chimneys. In my previous residencies as I moved around with the Air Force, the only purpose the chimneys served was to provide easy access to my house for birds, bats, and wasps.
The EPA should finally do something useful and outlaw them. 🙂
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In Montréal – with its heavy, endless winters – fireplaces were actually banned starting from this year.
Montréal also banned food trucks.
I love that city but it’s too insane.
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In Montreal? That’s like outlawing igloos at the North Pole, because cutting ice blocks damages the glaciers.
The Canadian equivalent of liberals were in power, right?
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Food trucks are allowed now, but not everywhere, and their presence is very limited. I wish I liked food trucks, but they never serve enough food for me.
As for fireplaces, it is apparently because of environmental issues. Burning too much wood produces smog or something, and you can actually see the smog in winter. And winter smog is absolutely disgusting. Suburbans keep using their fireplaces, however. It is a Montreal thing.
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But does it count if they’re not wearing the whole traditional outfit (with top hat)?
Please tell me they’ll be wearing top hats.
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And carrying a long ladder! And be all covered in soot!
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