How to clean a chimney yourself?

Why do I need to clean my chimney?

A chimney brings a nice warm cosy feel to the room on those dark and cold days but overtime as the fire burns it releases numerous gases which escape through the chimney. As the gases pass, substances such as soot and a flammable residue known as creosote begin to accumulate on the walls which will eventually reduce the air flow as they start to obstruct and block the chimney potentially cuasing a chimney fire. To prevent this from happening it is important to clean your chimney annually. You could either clean the chimney yourself or you could call a professional chimney sweep.

When should you clean your chimney

It is best to clean and/or inspect your chimney before or after using your fireplace during the colder months, ideally in the spring, summer or autumn months.

Chimney sweeping equipment

If you are going to be sweeping the chimney yourself we have put together a list of equipment that you'll need for the job:

Dust masks
Gloves
Safety glasses
Chimney brush
Rods
Dust sheet
Old bed sheet (with a 3cm square hole cut in the middle)
Duct tape
Torch
Dustpan and brush
Vacuum (with HEPA filter)

Chimney sweeping method

There are two ways to clean your chimney, you can either use the the top to bottom method where by you push the chimney rod from the top of the chimney to the bottom or you could use the bottom to top method where you insert the chimney rod from the bottom of the chimney to the top. The bottom to top method is the easiest way as you don't need to climb on a ladder to get to the top of the chimney and this is the method we will guide you through.

11 steps to clean your chimney

Step 1 - Cover the front fireplace and everything near it with a dust sheet.

Step 2 - Put your safety mask and goggles on.

Step 3 - Using a torch inspect the chimney to find out the size of the flue and checking if you have the right size brush. It is also a good idea to look out for any blockages or animal wastage too and to get a feel for how much soot and creosote build up there is by using the fireplace poker. If it is more than 1/8 inch deep then it's best to contact a chinmey sweeper.

Step 4 - You may need to cut the brush down so that's it's larger than the flue. The brush should 1/2 inch (15mm) wider than the chimney.

Step 5 - Place an old bed sheet over the fireplace opening taping it at the top to secure it in place. You can also use a poly twill dust sheet or cotton twill dust sheet if you don't have an old bed sheet at hand.

Step 6 - Place the correct sized brush inside the fire opening and insert the leading rod through the hole in the middle of your sheet. Hold the brush upright and connect it to the leading rod.

Step 7 - Tape up the rest of the bed sheet around the edges using duct tape, closing off any gaps where the debris may fall through.

Step 8 - Push the leading rod up the chimney, always turning to the right. You may need to connect another rod. Repeat this process until you get to the top of the chimney.

Step 9 - Once you get to the top, bring the rods back down unscrewing them one by one along the way. After taking the rods down and removing the brush, give it time to settle before you take down the sheet to check the chimney again with a torch. If it's still dirty repeat steps 5 to 8 until you're happy it's clean.

Step 10 - If you are happy with the results, use a dustpan and brush or vacuum cleaner to clean up the pile of soot and debris at the bottom of the fireplace. Give the area a through clean making sure it's free of any dirt.

Step 11 - Check to see if the chimney is working correctly by lighting a smoke match or pellet and placing it inside the fireplace opening ensuring that the smoke goes up the chimney and comes out of the right pot. If it comes out of more than one pot, you have a leakage which will need to be looked at by a professional, this is also the case if the smoke doesn't rise up the chimney.

Chimney sweeping organisations

If you don't feel comfortable cleaning the chimney on your own or if you require a certificate for home insurance purposes or for any other reason, then it's best to call a trained professional to sweep your chimney. You can find an accredited chimney sweep local to you from any one of the organisations listed below: