4800 Meadows Rd Suite 346 Lake Oswego OR 97035 – in person inquiry by appointment only
STANDARD FIREPLACE CLEANING SERVICES
Metro Chimney specializes in Standard Fireplace Cleaning. Our thorough cleaning process includes protecting the interior of your house with runner blankets from the fireplace to the nearest entryway. We comprehensively clean all aspects of your fireplace, including the flue, firebox, and most importantly, the smoke shelf, which is a critical component of your chimney’s performance.
CHIMNEY SMOKE SHELF
Fireplaces operate on an inversion process, and this process begins within the Smoke Shelf. The Smoke Shelf is situated behind the angled part of your fireplace’s back wall, constructed from fireclay mortar. When a fire burns in the fireplace, it heats up the back wall, transferring heat to the Smoke Shelf behind it. Due to the laws of inversion, cold air above the chimney descends as hot air rises below. As this descending air travels down the chimney, it warms up. Upon reaching the Smoke Shelf, the air is now hot and begins to rise. As it ascends, it carries smoke with it, creating the chimney’s draft. When this area becomes clogged with soot, it significantly affects your chimney’s draft. Clearing out this area allows your fireplace’s ‘engine’ to function correctly once again.
This is not the only reason to clean your fireplace.
This is not the only reason to clean your fireplace.
THE INSIDE YOUR CHIMNEY FLUE
The flue serves as the passage in your fireplace that allows smoke to ascend and exit. Each component of your fireplace, including the dimensions of the flue, is meticulously measured to ensure seamless functionality. As smoke ascends within the flue, it adheres to the flue walls, potentially obstructing the passage. Solids transform into carbon, commonly referred to as soot, which can accumulate and gradually narrow the interior dimensions of your flue, resulting in reduced efficiency. More significantly, liquids undergo a transformation into steam and subsequently coat the interior of your fireplace, a substance known as Creosote.
Burning wet wood increases the buildup of creosote within your flue. If this accumulation is left unchecked over time, it can reach a critical point and transform into what is known as 3rd degree creosote, posing a significant fire hazard.
This is the leading cause of chimney fires. Cleaning your chimney not only restores its interior dimensions to their proper working state but, if done early, can prevent creosote buildup from reaching a point where it cannot be removed with a simple sweep, potentially requiring more extensive measures to ensure the safe use of your chimney. If your fireplace is heavily used and has enough of a level of 2nd or 3rd stage creosote, we will direct you to get a certain anti creosote spray and instruct you on how to use it to take care of that. Chimney sweeps can only knock off soot and First Stage Creosote with our brushes. Second Stage Creosote is tar and Third Stage Creosote is varnish and they will embed themselves into the pores of the flue tile liner or bricks and the spray we are recommend will change them into a fluffy substance that is no longer flammable or acidic, will not cling to the liner and will either fall off on it’s own or during the next chimney cleaning. If the 2nd stage or 3rd stage creosote level is bad enough, we will put you on a detailed burning regimen using the Anti Creosote spray to get rid of it as much as possible. Also do not use those Anti Creosote Logs you see sold in stores in the winter time. They do not work. We have also tried the many expensive one time creosote cleaning products that other companies are offering and we have found they do not work either. The spray is the best of the Anti Creosote Sprays available, and it is the only one that really works but it does over a period of time every time you use your fireplace.
Burning wet wood increases the buildup of creosote within your flue. If this accumulation is left unchecked over time, it can reach a critical point and transform into what is known as 3rd degree creosote, posing a significant fire hazard.
This is the leading cause of chimney fires. Cleaning your chimney not only restores its interior dimensions to their proper working state but, if done early, can prevent creosote buildup from reaching a point where it cannot be removed with a simple sweep, potentially requiring more extensive measures to ensure the safe use of your chimney. If your fireplace is heavily used and has enough of a level of 2nd or 3rd stage creosote, we will direct you to get a certain anti creosote spray and instruct you on how to use it to take care of that. Chimney sweeps can only knock off soot and First Stage Creosote with our brushes. Second Stage Creosote is tar and Third Stage Creosote is varnish and they will embed themselves into the pores of the flue tile liner or bricks and the spray we are recommend will change them into a fluffy substance that is no longer flammable or acidic, will not cling to the liner and will either fall off on it’s own or during the next chimney cleaning. If the 2nd stage or 3rd stage creosote level is bad enough, we will put you on a detailed burning regimen using the Anti Creosote spray to get rid of it as much as possible. Also do not use those Anti Creosote Logs you see sold in stores in the winter time. They do not work. We have also tried the many expensive one time creosote cleaning products that other companies are offering and we have found they do not work either. The spray is the best of the Anti Creosote Sprays available, and it is the only one that really works but it does over a period of time every time you use your fireplace.
BEFORE AND AFTER PICS
Here are pictures of a fireplace flue before and after a chimney cleaning we did. The flue does have some 3rd stage creosote and I put the customer on the Anti Creosote spray recommend to clean that out.
FIREPLACE AND CHIMNEY SAFETY INSPECTION
During your chimney cleaning, we conduct a comprehensive assessment of your entire system, providing you with a Safety Inspection Report detailing the condition of your fireplace and chimney. Any identified problem areas and recommended repairs will be documented on this inspection report, which is also included as part of your receipt. If any repairs are deemed necessary, we will send you an estimate for the chimney repairs required.
This is not the only reason to clean your fireplace.
Even if your chimney doesn’t require cleaning but you need an inspection, please note that there is still a service call charge for this service and we will at that time do a Safety Inspection of your chimney for this service call fee.
Schedule a chimney cleaning appointment today, and one of our skilled chimney sweeps will ensure that your fireplace is safe for use.
Even if your chimney doesn’t require cleaning but you need an inspection, please note that there is still a service call charge for this service and we will at that time do a Safety Inspection of your chimney for this service call fee.
Schedule a chimney cleaning appointment today, and one of our skilled chimney sweeps will ensure that your fireplace is safe for use.
Cancelled appointments will be subject to a cancellation fee. Once you schedule the chimney cleaning, at that point you are authorizing the terms of the cancellation fee. Cancellation fee applies to people who cancel the chimney cleaning or call in to say they need to reschedule but are not actually rescheduling the appointment at that time. To not get the cancelation fee, you actually need to call up and physically reschedule the appointment time to another day/time. The charges do not apply to people who call in and actually reschedule the time.