Common Blockages to Your Chimney

By George Elias
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21 Mar, 2014
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When there is a blockage on the road, you find a detour. When there is a blockage in your arteries, you have to have surgery. Chimney blockages are also detrimental, as they cause draft problems and an increased risk of fires. It is important that you hire an experienced chimney sweep to do the inspection. To contact one of these professionals call Young’s Chimney Service today.
What can cause a blockage inside of your chimney?

*It’s important to know the things that could potentially clog up your chimney so that you can initiate preventive measures. You should also know what to do in case your chimney does get obstructed.*

Creosote Buildup

Almost anything can build up inside of your chimney. One of the most troublesome things is creosote. This is released when you burn untreated wood inside of your fireplace. These particles will then travel upwards through the chimney and clump together on the sides of your flue.

Animals Inside the Chimney

Animals will not only cause blockages in a chimney, but also a foul odor. Birds, raccoons, and bugs are some of the main culprits that tend to free load off your fireplace unit. When looking for a home they will begin to build a nest inside of the unit. When they do this, they will start to store their food inside causing various types of droppings to also line the inside of the chimney.

Natural Causes

Imagine when a storm or high winds comes through your neighborhood. Your lawn chairs end up three doors down and you now have a full yard of leaves to rake. What you don’t think about is how the stuff flying in the air can be trapped inside of your chimney. This is often the same gunk you find I your gutters including trash, and leaves and twigs.

What can happen if a chimney becomes blocked?

When your chimney becomes blocked air will not be able to pass through properly. This will cause a draft problem, keeping heat and smoke inside of the home. When the heat become trapped and combines with the blockage it can make sparks to start the chimney or flue fire. This also allows harmful gasses like carbon monoxide to be trapped inside of your home.

Since CO is odorless and colorless; you will not be able to tell how much is actually surrounding you until you begin to feel the symptoms. When you breathe it in, it will start to fight oxygen levels in the blood stream. Doctors compare CO poisoning symptoms to symptoms from the flu without having a fever. If you only ingest a small amount, you will feel headaches, nausea, and balance and vision problems. If you breathe in too much it can affect your breathing and cause you to need an oxygen mask and short hospital stay. If you feel that the area that you are in is having this problem, evacuate immediately. Do not worry about turning off the unit. Even if you are able to do so, the room will still need a considerable amount of time to air out.

Homeowners now have the chance to install CO alarms inside of their homes to alert them of when levels are getting too high. These should not be used as smoked detectors, but in conjunction with them. They should be spread throughout the whole floor plan and on multiple levels if the home includes more than one floor.
Also most chimney technicians will suggest that you have a chimney cap installed to prevent having the open hole at the top. A chimney cap will serve you many purposes. Chimneys are highly susceptible to mold so keeping water out of them is a must. In the unfortunate event that your chimney does catch fire, a chimney cap will help keep as many sparks as possible from spreading to anything nearby.

How do you properly remove a chimney blockage?

The most reliable way to remove a blockage is having a chimney sweep. You should have at least one a year, but if you use your chimney multiple times a season having two is not a bad idea. One should definitely be done before burning season to have a clean start, but if there is a large accumulation after winter the second should be done. Around this time sweeps are often slow and may offer a discount. To be ready for when they arrive, make sure you have all furniture moved away from the unit and that you have not burned a fire for at least 24 hours so it is cooled down.