When Is the Best Time of Year To Clean Your Chimney?

Homeowners who use the fireplace during the colder months sometimes wonder when is the best time of year for a chimney cleaning and inspection. Although there is an overall answer, there are also smaller cleanings you can do throughout the year. Today, we’re going to break each of those down for you, starting with when to remove ash.

When to remove ash

Let’s first address the most common type of cleaning: removing ash from your firebox. Although loosely a part of your chimney, keeping your fireplace clear of ash will help with overall cleanliness within your flue.

So how often should you remove ash? Roughly 24 hours after your last fire. This ensures that any embers within your firebox have had enough time to cool down. Scoop it out and into a sealable bucket for disposal later.

When to clean your firebox

The next part of your chimney system that you’ll need to clean is your firebox. We’re including the grates, glass doors, and the walls of your fireplace in this category. Generally speaking, you’ll clean each of these at the end of the season, though you may find yourself wanting to clean your glass doors sooner rather than annually.

For gas-burning fireplaces: when to clean your burners

Some Chimney Specialists customers have chosen to convert their wood-burning fireplaces to gas-burning options. Others start with a gas fireplace, choosing this option for their new home construction.

Whichever category you fall into, you will need to clean your heating element — often called your burners — from time to time. Wait until you’ve turned the gas supply off and the pilot light has fully extinguished and the burners cooled off. A good rule of thumb is 24 hours after you’ve closed your fireplace for the spring and summer.

Then, using a stiff brush, clean your burners, removing any residue during the process.

When to schedule a sweep and inspection

After cleaning these visible parts of your fireplace system, there is still one component remaining: the chimney itself. This should be handled by a professional chimney sweep who has both the skills and tools to get up inside your chimney to inspect its condition while also removing any creosote build-up.

Ideally, you would schedule your annual sweep and inspection in the spring or summer, after you’ve closed your fireplace for the season.

This ensures that any problems are addressed earlier rather than later while also getting you on our calendar as soon as possible.

The best time of year for a chimney cleaning

Looping back to our original topic, the best time of year for a chimney cleaning is well before the start of the fall season. As we just mentioned, spring and summer often work best for many homeowners. However, if you haven’t had a chimney cleaning annually, it means you’re well overdue. Let us know and we’ll get you onto our calendar ASAP.

Would you like to book your next appointment with our team? Then contact Chimney Specialists Inc at 608-929-4887 or send us a short message via our contact form.