The chimney sweep and inspection before the first fire

Have each chimney, fireplace and vent inspected at least once a year for soundness, deposits and clearances, and cleaned or repaired when needed. That applies to a fireplace you hardly use, because animals nest in flues and masonry wears. Book the visit in early fall, before the first cold night.

Booking the visit

• Ask for a Level 1 inspection and a sweeping
• Confirm the sweep's certification and insurance before the visit
• Include every chimney in the houseA gas furnace's flue can be blocked by a nest or debris, so it needs the yearly inspection too.

What a complete sweeping covers

• The flue and the smoke chamber, not only the fireboxA sweep who brushes the bricks you can see and leaves the flue hasn't done a full sweeping.
• Mechanical brushing, not a chemical log aloneChemical cleaners can loosen creosote, but the loose debris still has to be swept out.
• Sweeping at 1/8 inch of soot in a masonry fireplaceAny shiny glaze of creosote calls for sweeping sooner. A factory-built fireplace needs sweeping whenever buildup appears, because the deposits corrode it.

Signs of a past chimney fire

A chimney fire can burn slowly and unnoticed and still reach about 2,000°F, hot enough to crack flue tiles and melt mortar. If the sweep finds any of these, the chimney needs repair before the next fire.

• Warped metal on the damper, the connector pipe or a metal chimney
• Cracked or collapsed flue tiles, or tiles with chunks missing
• Signs of smoke escaping through the mortar joints
• Puffy, honeycombed creosote in the flue
• A discolored or warped rain cap
• Creosote flakes on the roof or the ground, or roofing damaged by hot creosote

Between visits

• Open the damper fully before you light a fireShine a flashlight up the chimney to check. A closed damper fills the room with smoke and can start a fire.
• Burn only seasoned woodWet wood burns cooler and leaves more creosote, and so does a fire starved of air.
• Keep wrapping paper, pizza boxes and foam out of the fireplace

A chimney fire you can hear sounds like loud cracking and popping, or a low rumble like a freight train, and flames or dense smoke may shoot from the top. Get everyone out and call 911.