How often to clean a chimney

LAST UPDATED: 15th January 2023 by The Editorial Team

Chimney sweep

Summary: How often to clean a chimney guide, when to clean a chimney and what wood causes the most soot build up.

How often to sweep a chimney

When to clean a chimney

Cleaning your chimney is important to ensure the efficiency of the flue remains good and that the soot doesn’t catch fire. A build up of soot (creosote) is inevitable, but can happen at different speeds. Certain wood, such as pine, creates a more rapid build up of creosote. It is not advised that you burn this wood type.

Knowing whether the chimney needs cleaning is not judged by time or number of fires, but simply by physically checking the state of the flue. Using a poker or other implement, you need to scrape away the soot from the chimney walls.

  • If the amount is only about paper-thin, then your flue is in fine condition and will not require a clean for some time to come.
  • If the build up is around about 1/8 of an inch, you may want to think about a clean in the near future.
  • 1/8 – 1/4 of an inch of build up will require an immediate clean, and any more than this requires an urgent clean and the fireplace should not be used for risk of igniting the soot.

It is possible to clean a chimney yourself; however you must use the right tools for the job, as well as the correct safety clothing.

How often should you have chimney swept video

Author

The Editorial Team

The Editorial Team at lets-do-diy.com are a team of experts led by Mark Wilson. We have been creating DIY projects, articles, costs guides and product reviews since 2008. For more info see our about page.