A clean chimney doesn’t only look good but also performs very well in the dead cold of winter. Here are signs that you need to look out for, especially when your chimney needs a good sweep from chimney cleaning services.

Look At The Inside Of Your Fireplace

The inside of your fireplace is a great indicator to show you whether you need to clean your chimney or not. When you look at the place right above where the wood is being burnt, you can clearly see black deposits on the wall. This means that the wood-burning is leading to deposits of creosote on the top of the fireplace. The creosote, when further burnt, will reduce the efficiency of the fire and it won’t be hot enough for the room.

Smell Of Smoke

If you put out the fire in your fireplace and see that there is smoke collecting in the room, then this is not a good sign. It means that your chimney is clogged from the top and it is not pulling out the smoke from the room, which is causing dense smoke to accumulate around the room in which the fireplace is present.

You can also smell the thick and smoky odor of the wood being burnt all over the room. Your chimney definitely needs cleaning after this because it is clogged and smoke needs a way out.

The Fire Isn’t Hot Enough

Another huge indicator that your chimney is in dire need of a wipe-down or deep cleaning is when your fire is not burning bright enough and it is not giving off too much heat, as it should. This is because of the creosote deposits on the inside walls of the fireplace. This is causing the heat of the fire to be trapped within the deposits and be wasted. The fire is not coming to you and is not heating up the room as you want it to, which is why you will naturally start to burn more wood and the difference will be next to nothing.

Inside Walls Of The Chimney

If you want to go and take a look up at the chimney, you will be surprised at how much smoke and creosote deposits are present there as well. Your chimney walls need to be clean at all times so that they can allow the thick smoke to escape from the chute.

If your walls are black and dirty, then the smoke will stick to these deposits and the deposited layer will turn even thicker until the chute is completely clogged and there is no way for the smoke to escape. This is going to choke up your fireplace and the smoke and smell will start to accumulate in the room.

Soot Deposits

Soot in chimneys and firepalces is the leftover black residue that is produced due to the burning of wood. Soot is thick, black, and sometimes runny under high temperatures. Soot is also a very hard thing to clean from the walls of the chimney and the fireplace and it also decreases the efficiency of the fireplace and the wood being burnt. You need to clean this up right away before the deposits get thicker and it becomes a nightmare to remove. Soot can be removed by either scraping the walls or with a thick and hard bristled brush.

Residence Of Animals In The Chimney

Chimneys are a great place for animals who are seeking refuge from the weather or building nests. Birds and small animals like raccoons, squirrels, and even skunks can be found in chimneys. The only issue is that they are blocking the way for the smoke to escape out into the air. The best thing to do is to remove these animals from the chimney, because not only is the chimney being choked, but it is also not a safe place for animals in case the heat gets too much to handle for them.

Conclusion

There you have it! If you pay attention to the signs showing you that your chimney needs to be cleaned, then you will save yourself from the huge trouble of having your chimney clogged. Hire chimney sweep services Bowie that use specialized tools for perfect chimney cleaning.