Chimney Sweeping in Oregon

Creosote is the reason chimneys catch fire. When wood smoke cools on its way up a flue it condenses into a dark, tarry deposit on the walls. Build up enough of it and a stray ember is all it takes. Oregon makes this worse than most places: we burn a lot of resinous softwood, and damp air means smoke cools faster on the way up.

What a sweep includes

• Rotary brushing of the full flue length — top to bottom, not just what can be reached from the hearth
• Smoke chamber and smoke shelf cleared, which is where most of the heavy deposit actually sits
• Firebox swept out and the damper checked for free movement
• HEPA vacuum running at the opening and drop cloths over the hearth and floor for the whole visit
• A visual check of the cap, crown and liner while we are up there
• Before-and-after photographs of your flue, handed to you on the day

How often does it need doing?

Once a year for anything in regular use. That is the standard recommendation and it holds up well in this climate. If you burn most evenings through winter, or you burn softwood or unseasoned wood, once a year is the floor rather than the target.

If the fireplace only gets used a handful of times a season, you can stretch it — but still have it inspected annually, because the things that make a chimney dangerous here are usually water-related, not soot-related, and those keep happening whether you light a fire or not.

Signs it is overdue

• Smoke pushing back into the room instead of drawing up
• A strong smoky or tarry smell from the fireplace when it is not lit
• Black, flaking or shiny deposit visible just inside the flue
• The fire is hard to get going or will not stay lit
• Birds, nesting material or debris falling into the firebox

What it will not fix

A sweep cleans. It does not repair. If the crown is cracked, the flashing is leaking or the mortar is failing, sweeping the flue will not touch any of that — and a company that only ever sells you a sweep is not telling you the whole story. We report what we see, which is why every sweep ends with photographs even when the news is good.