Chimney Services
Notes from our Midway chimney sweeps
Useful to know before you book a sweep for your Midway home.
Clearing the smoke shelf behind the damper
Just above the damper on many masonry fireplaces sits a flat ledge called the smoke shelf. Soot, flakes of creosote, leaves and even small nests fall onto it and stay there, out of sight from the room.
Brushing the flue from above often drops more debris onto that shelf, so we clear it by hand and vacuum it at the end of every masonry chimney cleaning. A shelf left full can smolder if an ember reaches it, and it can hold moisture that feeds a musty smell. It is a small step that is easy to miss, and it is part of every visit we make. If the shelf is cracked or badly shaped, we note it, since debris that cannot be cleared properly keeps coming back.
Fireplaces that have not been used in a while
A fireplace that has sat cold for a few seasons is not necessarily clean inside. Leaves, nesting material, fallen mortar and old deposits can all collect in an unused flue, and a cap that went missing long ago lets rain in to mix with the soot.
Before the first fire in a long time, we clean the flue, clear the shelf and firebox and look at what the brush reaches. If the chimney is blocked or the lining is damaged, you hear about it before anyone strikes a match. It is a sensible first visit after moving into a house with a fireplace you know little about. Tell us roughly how long the fireplace has been idle, and we will allow time for a slower first cleaning.
A clogged cap screen
The mesh on a chimney cap keeps out animals and sparks, but it also collects soot and creosote. A screen clogged with deposits narrows the opening at the very top, and the fire may start to smoke into the room even with a clean flue below.
The cap screen gets cleaned on the same visit, and we make sure the cap itself is tight. The Florida Building Code, Residential, requires a masonry chimney's spark arrestor to offer at least four times the flue outlet's net free area and to be removable or reachable for cleaning, so a screen that cannot be cleaned is worth discussing with us. If the cap is loose, dented or rusted through, we tell you and quote a replacement separately.
