How to Clean a Fireplace Chimney

Information may not be reliable

Chimney fires can easily spread to the house – everyone’s nightmare scenario. Whether you hire a Columbia chimney cleaning company to clean your fireplace and chimney or attempt to do it yourself, you will need to be diligent about getting all of the soot, dust and other debris scraped off of the chimney walls.

Methods for Cleaning Chimneys

There are four different ways to clean your chimney. They include:

Top Down Rod Method
Bottom Up Rod Method
Pulley Method
Weight Method

No matter which method you use, you will need special tools that are capable of reaching down into the chimney and scrubbing the bricks clean. Some of the tools you will need for the task include:

Chimney brush
Chimney rod
Rope
Pulley rings
Drop Cloth
Metal Bucket
Ladder

These are the main tools you will need when using any of the aforementioned cleaning methods for your chimney. You will also want protective gear for yourself like goggles, a facemask and clothes you don’t mind getting dirty because cleaning a chimney can get messy.

Top Down Rod Method

For this method, you will need to be on the roof of your house. For safety purposes, you should anchor yourself with a rope tied around the chimney so you don’t slip and fall off. In addition, select a nice, sunny day for this task so you don’t risk slipping on slick roofing.

Before starting, close the flue of the fireplace to help contain the soot and other debris, then take your chimney brush and insert it into the opening of the chimney. The brush is connected by flexible rods and you can extend the length of the brush by inserting additional rods. Scrub the inside of the chimney by moving the brush up and down.

Bottom Up Rod Method

This is similar to the top down method except you work from inside of the house and insert the brush from the opening in the fireplace. As the name implies, you will work toward the top of the chimney from the bottom of the fireplace. With this method, you will want to be sure to wear goggles, a facemask and something to cover your hair, a hoodie works well. The soot, dirt and other debris will fall down as you work so you will get dirty. In addition, you will want to use drop cloths over the nearby furniture and flooring.

Pulley Method

This is also known as the dual line method. With this cleaning technique, you will need a partner to help you. A rope and a pulley ring is attached to the brush and dropped from the top of the chimney by either you or your partner. The other person is at the bottom of the fireplace and will take the end when it drops down.

Each of you will pull on the rope, working the brush back and forth along the chimney to dislodge the dirt, soot and debris. As the flue will be open, this method will be dirty and your furniture, flooring and the person down below should be adequately covered.

Weight Method

Like you would in the top down method, you will be on the roof when cleaning the chimney in this manner. However, instead of using the metal rods on your chimney brush, you will use a weight of at least 20 pounds attached to the brush to help clean the sides of the chimney.

Attaching a rope to the weight, you pull the weight up and down to scrub the chimney. Again, before you start, anchor yourself to the chimney and close the flue so dirt is neatly contained until you open the flue to clean out the debris.

To prevent your chimney from becoming clogged and catching fire, you should plan to clean it once a year using one of these four cleaning methods. If you are leery about safely working on the roof of your home, hire a Columbia chimney cleaning company to do the work.