Chimney Services
The methods behind creosote removal in Heathrow
Glaze in the smoke chamber
The smoke chamber, the sloped space between the damper and the flue, collects deposits too. The PCR system includes a separate sprayer for removing glazed creosote from smoke chambers, and treating that space is a separate step from treating the flue above it. Deposits there sit close to the fire and are easy to miss from the top of the chimney.
We include the smoke chamber in the free inspection and price its treatment on its own line. If the chamber's surface turns out to be rough or cracked beneath the deposit, smoke chamber repair is explained as a separate job.
Keeping the roof safe during treatment
Removal work happens on the roof as well as at the hearth. The PCR data sheet warns that product accumulating on ladders, scaffolding and roofs can make them slippery, and asks for surrounding areas to be protected from mixing splatter with a tarp or similar cover.
Our crew sets out tarps, keeps the product off the shingles and cleans any splatter before leaving. The area below the chimney is kept clear while we work, and the roof is left as clean as we found it. If the roof is steep or fragile, tell us when you book so the crew brings the right access equipment.
Keeping glaze from coming back
Removal treats the deposit that is there now. Keeping it from returning depends on the conditions EPA describes: dry, seasoned wood, enough air for the fire to burn cleanly and a flue that warms up as the fire burns. None of those need special equipment, only attention to the wood and to how the fire is run.
We give you practical guidance for your fireplace or stove in Heathrow, and a yearly inspection shows how quickly anything is building up. That yearly check is exactly what NFPA's inspection advice is meant to provide.
No test fire before the inspection
It is tempting to light a small fire to see whether the chimney draws. With glazed creosote in the flue, that adds heat to a deposit EPA describes as highly combustible. If the damper is stuck or the smoke chamber is crusted, a test fire can also push smoke back into the room instead of up the flue.
Leave the fireplace cold until the flue has been inspected. The free inspection in Heathrow tells you whether the chimney can be used as it is, needs a sweep or needs creosote removal first, and you get that answer in writing.
