Monday, February 23, 2015

Prevent House Fires With Chimney Sweep NJ

By Olivia Cross


Although you remove ashes often from your fireplace pit, they are an indication of energy efficiency as they show that the fires completely consumed your fuel logs. However, there is that part of combustion process that does not turn into ash and this is what puts the house at risk. A chimney sweep NJ will help you clean and remove soot as well as creosote from chimneys.

As you burn those logs, you will find that there is smoke, gases, and other particles being released. These substances have to be removed out of the building by moving updraft in chimney flue. Creosote forms when the gases and other substances condense inside the flues. Hitting the cooler zones of chimneys, the gases and smoke form the creosote coating.

For soot, it will come out easily but when it comes to creosote, expect to have some difficult times in removing it. Creosote will stick on walls of flues and solidify making it a tall order to clean it. That is why cleaners use substances with chemical formulations to first break the molecules down before they can wipe the surfaces and remove the creosote.

It is a tar like substance that is shinny and forms on walls of chimneys. This substance is responsible for most of the fires you see in homes. There are obvious signs that will show that the flues are clogged and need to be cleaned. If smoke is flooding your home and soot is covering the furniture, it could mean that these particulates or combustion by-products are not being released outside the house.

Unlike what many people think, it is not possible to avoid creosote by burning certain types of wood such as the hardwood including maple, oak, or birch. All wood will produce some sort of creosote meaning that the more you burn, the higher the amount of that flammable substance you are depositing on walls of flues. Some people believe that creosote is caused by tree sap and therefore, they try to avoid using softwoods like pine, cedar, or fir.

If the cleanup is not done properly, it could leave behind creosote that may continue to accumulate and pose risks to the home structure and people. In addition, the inspection ought to be done properly using the right equipment such as infrared cameras. The cameras can help see the inside especially the hidden areas.

You may want to reduce the amount of creosote by using wood at 20 percent moisture. A clean chimney enhances the efficiency of fireplace and it may reduce the amount of wood you use. It also minimizes the risk of experiencing fires within chimneys. When fires occur in chimneys, they cause a lot of destruction.

The flue liners are destroyed by the heat resulting to replacement of lining. Such fires could also spread to other parts of the home resulting to house fires. You can prevent these problems by ensuring that chimneys are cleaned at the right time. The cleanup will depend on how often you use the chimneys. You might want to do it just before winter sets in so that you prepare for the heating season at home. You may also clean the chimneys after winter so that you do not allow creosote to solidify and harden.




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