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Show Boim5t Risk Chimney Fire Buildup of unburned particles parti-cles can cause a chimney fire. To prevent this, chimneys from fireplaces and wood-stoves wood-stoves need cleaning, reminds Steven C. Bilboa, extension safety specialist, Safety Education Edu-cation Office, Utah State University. Uni-versity. i HE SAYS fireplaces used continuously and air-tight stoves need to be cleaned once a year at a minimum. They may even need to be cleaned once a month. He suggests checking the flue lining every ;couple of weeks to find out how fast creosote is accumu lating inside the flue. A quarter-inch-thick accumulation of creosote signals that it's time to clean the flue yourself or call in a professional to do it, he said. Creosote, a tarlike substance subst-ance created in a flue's lining from unburned particles, presents pre-sents the fire hazard. To be safe, see that the chimney gets a thorough cleaning as needed. EXPERTS say the most effective way to clean the flue is to sweep it out with a steel-wire steel-wire brush. Other objects used in the chimney may do irre-pairable irre-pairable damage to the flue or they may get stuck in the chimney. chim-ney. Special chimney sweeping sweep-ing brushes are available at several stores and at most reputable woodstove and fireplace fire-place accessory dealers. The chimney may be cleaned from the top down by attaching a weight to one end of the brush and a long rope to the other or to attach another rope to the bottom of the brush and have someone tug from the bottom side as the brushes work back and forth in the chimney. CERTAIN woodstoves must be cleaned from the fire box up. A fireplace may be cleaned that way also. This requires re-quires a set of connecting flexible flexi-ble rods to run the brush up and down the chimney. This may require removing the damper. Protect the room from soot by using duct tape and large sheets of plastic, cardboard or canvas. Cut a slit in the covering cover-ing just large enough to fit the brush through. With a back-and-forth motion, run the brush through the flue five or six times. FOR FURTHER precaution, precau-tion, it's also a good idea to spread plenty of newspaper or plastic around to protect rugs and furniture, Bilboa said. After thoroughly cleaning the chimney, remove any accumulation of carbon from the damper shelf and from the hearth. Use a brush and shovel. Don't use an ordinary household vacuum; it can spread grime to other parts of the room and may get clogged, Bilboa cautioned. HE SUGGESTS inspecting the flue with a strong flashlight after finishing cleaning it. Check for cracks and other visible damage. If there is visible visi-ble damage, call in a professional profes-sional to repair it. |