Chimney sweep and flue cleaning in Summerlake

Heavy creosote removal in a narrowed flue

A flue is sized to carry the smoke from its fireplace. The Florida Building Code requires the passage above a masonry firebox, through the throat, damper and smoke chamber, to be no smaller in cross-section than the flue itself. Heavy creosote works against that design by thickening on the walls until the opening is narrower than it was built to be.

A narrowed flue can slow the smoke, and EPA guidance notes that the longer smoke stays in the flue, the more creosote forms. Heavy creosote removal takes more passes, stiffer brushes and more time in the smoke chamber than a routine cleaning.

When our technicians find buildup that thick in your Summerlake chimney, they price the extra passes in the written estimate before starting and tell you whether any section has glazed and needs a separate treatment.

Rods and brushes sized to your flue

A brush that is too small spins through the middle of a flue and leaves the corners coated. One that is too large jams or strains the lining. Before any cleaning, our technicians measure the flue opening and choose a brush head that matches its size and shape, whether round, square or rectangular.

The rods connect in sections, so the length grows with the chimney. Flexible rods follow a flue that offsets. Stiffer rods give more push in a straight run with heavy deposits. Several brush heads may be used in one flue as the work moves from loose soot to more stubborn buildup.

Every sweep we do starts with that match, because the right brush does more of the work than extra force does.

• Flue size and shape measured before brushing
• Brush head matched to the lining
• Rod length set to the full height of the flue
• Extra passes where deposits are heaviest

Sweeping a factory-built fireplace and metal chimney

A factory-built fireplace is a metal firebox and chimney system made and tested together. Under the Florida Building Code, a factory-built fireplace must be listed, labeled and installed within the terms of that listing, and its factory-built chimney has to go in, and end at the roof, exactly as the manufacturer's instructions describe.

That listing shapes the cleaning. Our technicians read the label, follow the maker's care directions and use brushes that suit the metal flue. One maker's instructions warn against any brush that will scratch the stainless liner, so nothing abrasive goes into a factory-built flue.

The refractory panels in the firebox, the metal chimney sections and the cap are all part of the listed system. If any of them is cracked, loose or rusted, the replacement has to match the system, so it is quoted as separate prefab fireplace repair.

Wood stove chimney cleaning, pipe included

Wood stove chimney cleaning covers more than the flue on the roof. A stove connects to its chimney through a connector pipe, and deposits collect inside that pipe, at its joints and where it enters the chimney or the ceiling support.

Depending on the system, our technicians clean the stove chimney from the top or the bottom, then take down or brush out the connector pipe, clear the stove's flue outlet as far as the stove manual allows, and reassemble everything with the joints tight.

EPA and fire officials recommend having the stove, chimney and vents professionally inspected and cleaned each year. For a stove in your Summerlake home, we write down the condition of the pipe as well as the chimney, because a rusted or split section of connector gets replaced, not cleaned.