Thursday, June 5, 2014

Improve Structural Integrity Of Chimneys With A Chimney Sweep Alexandria VA Technician

By Sally Delacruz


Chimneys can cause serious functional and structural problems if they are not properly maintained and cleaned. Burning of wood logs in fireplaces and stoves will release gases and smoke particles that need to be extracted. With the buildup of soot and creosote within the chimneys, it is essential that you consider consulting chimney sweep Alexandria VA technicians. Creosote forms inside flue vents as a result of gases condensing before they reach outside.

One major problem with chimneys is the buildup of the shiny sticky substance, creosote. The creosote will form due to burning of wood logs. Smoke occurs when burning wood because not all chemicals within the fuel materials, or logs are burned by the fireplace and wood stoves. The smoke contains tiny and unburned solid particles, which are flammable. These tiny particles will adhere to the walls of chimneys and form the creosote.

The brushes used should be able to get rid of sticky substances on chimneys walls. Soot and creosote will stick on flue walls making it hard to remove. While the soot may come out easily by wiping with a damp cloth, creosote is stubborn and hard to come out. At times, you may need to use chemical substances to break it up before it is wiped clean from surfaces.

The masonry work of your chimneys will deteriorate within time if there are frequent fires. In addition, the creosote forming on walls could also cause other problems such as acidic compounds that eat away the liners. With the presence of moisture, creosote may dissolve and form acidic compounds that may damage the walls and liners.

There are certain conditions, which encourage the formation of creosote, and they include restricted air supply, using unseasoned wood, and having cooler than normal temperatures within chimneys. If you burn wet wood logs, the more amount of gases are produced together with soot. When the air supply is limited by closing doors, and not opening the damper wide, the smoke may not move up the chimneys rapidly as required.

Because not all debris is removed by brushes, chemicals are applied. The chemical soot removers or creosote cleaners are made to break up the hardened substances for easy removal. Not all chemicals can be used for this task as some can be harmful and could trigger explosions. Technicians should understand the safe use of chemicals in this job.

The right tools are needed including proper and well-sized brushes. Cleanup technicians do not just remove the debris, they also inspect the interior and exterior to check the structural integrity of the structure. If they detect things like cracks on masonry work or weary liners, they inform the homeowners. When you consult technicians to clean up the mess in your chimneys, you help improve the quality of life at home.

During the cleanup, dust and other particles are released from vents. Your furniture needs to be protected from such dust particles. Use of a drop cloth to cover the entrance or inlet of flue is needed. To help in extracting the particles of dust and soot that are removed from the surfaces, a high efficiency vacuum machine is needed.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment