What is a fireplace burp?

Whenever your appliances – from fireplaces to stoves – push their smoke back into your room instead of appropriately exhausting through the flue, this is called “back puffing.” Because each case of a fireplace or stove back puffing is unique, it’s not uncommon for the frequency and intensity to be hard to track.

Can you sweep a chimney from the bottom?

The Bottom Up Brush & Rod Chimney Cleaning Method is very similar to the Top Down method just a little safer. The Bottom Up cleaning method is very messy as you will be working in the firebox inside your home and cannot seal off the firebox opening. …

What is the purpose of a flue on a fireplace?

What Is a Flue? Your flue liner (located inside your chimney) is the vertical passageway that transports the waste gas to the outdoors. Think of chimney liners as an exhaust pipe that transports smoke and combustion products safely outdoors.

How do you know if you have creosote build up?

Unexplained poorly burning fires, a reduced draft or black deposits around your fireplace can all be signs of creosote buildup. To check for creosote buildup look for black soot or tar deposits around the opening of your fireplace, as well as around the throat of the chimney.

Will a hot fire remove creosote?

Creosote is a natural byproduct of burning wood in a wood stove or fireplace. One method to loosen crusty or tarry creosote so it flakes off and falls down into the firebox or fireplace is to burn aluminum cans in a very hot fire.

How can you tell if your chimney needs cleaning?

Here are our top 9 Signs that Your Chimney Needs to Be Cleaned:

1. Oily Spots on the Walls of Your Fireplace.
2. Poorly Burning Fires.
3. Odors Coming from the Fireplace.
4. Animals are Inside Your Chimney.
5. Smoke Doesn’t Rise Up the Chimney.
6. Fires are Difficult to Get Started.
7. Chimney Soot is Falling from the Chimney.

What causes creosote to build up in chimney?

Creosote is the black or brown residue that forms as a result of wood-burning fires inside a fireplace. Creosote buildup increases when the air supply is restricted in the chimney, unseasoned wood is used to make a fire, and when the chimney temperature is cooler than normal.

Does a chimney need a flue?

If you have a wood-burning fire, no matter what type of appliance or fireplace it is, your system requires a flue. It may be inside a chimney or a simple flue pipe—but the flue is the duct by which smoke and waste gases exit the home. If your fire is a wood-burning one, your chimney needs a flue to work properly.

What is the difference between a flue and chimney?

A flue is the channel, pipe, or tube through which gases and smoke travel from a source of combustion (fireplace, furnace, boiler) to the outside environment. A chimney is, on the other hand, in its simplest definition, the housing that encases the flue. It is usually made of masonry, brick, or stone.

How often should a chimney be swept?

once a year
How Often Should You Sweep your Chimney. You should have your chimney swept at least once a year as a bare minimum. This ensures your chimney is kept as clean as possible and prevents buildup that will become harder to remove if you leave it.

How do you know when your chimney need sweeping?

Here are seven tell-tale signs that indicate your chimney or fireplace needs cleaning:

1. Your fireplace smells like a campfire.
2. Fires burn oddly.
3. It takes more effort to get a fire going and keep it going.
4. Smoke fills the room.
5. The fireplace damper is black.
6. Fireplace walls have oily marks.
7. There’s evidence of animals.