Dallas Fireplace Cleaning and Restoration Services

3/16/2021 (Permalink)

SERVPRO offers professional fireplace cleaning services and fire damage restoration services to homeowners in the Dallas area.

A fireplace is a selling point for any property, so it’s worth putting in the time and effort to maintain it. If you have this warm and cozy feature in your home, we recommend routine maintenance and care for it over the years.

Why Clean Your Fireplace?

It is recommended that a fireplace have a good cleaning every year. As part of the cleaning process, the chimney and vents should also be inspected to ensure that passages are not blocked and are in good condition.

Creosote is identified by its soft and flaky soot appearance. Eventually, it becomes a tar-like shiny substance that sticks to surfaces. When creosote buildup isn’t removed, this creates a chimney fire hazard.

Signs Your Fireplace Needs a Cleaning

• It lets off a constant campfire smell (even when you haven’t had a fire recently).
• It becomes more difficult to keep a fire going steadily.
• Too much smoke in the room, even with the flue open.
• A black substance (likely creosote) appears on the fireplace damper
• Oily marks are seen on the fireplace walls.
• You hear animals moving around in the chimney.

What is Involved with Fireplace Cleaning?

Cleaning a fireplace is about removing as much ash, debris, soot, and grime as possible from both the inside and the outside. While the process of cleaning a wood-burning fireplace and a gas fireplace is similar, a gas fireplace involves some disassembly.

1. Make sure the fireplace has completely cooled (may take up to 24 hours). For a gas fireplace, make sure the gas is completely turned off along with the pilot light.
2. Put on protective clothing and safety glasses.
3. Open the flue.
4. For gas fireplaces, components will need to be removed or disassembled to be cleaned separately (glass doors, metal screen or curtain, logs burner unit, etc.)
5. Use a brush to loosen ash from nooks and crannies
6. Sweep up and vacuum all loose ash and soot.
7. Use a brush to loosen
8. To remove all buildup with a homemade cleaning mixture or cleaning product for fireplaces.
9. Rinse off and dry.
10. Polish glass and metal surfaces as needed.
11. Reassemble gas fireplace components.

Don’t forget to check outside vents for debris like leaves and animal nests.

What is Fireplace Restoration?

If you’ve done all you can to clean your fireplace and you’re still having the symptoms mentioned earlier, you could probably use the help of a professional restoration service, especially if the fireplace started a housefire (or almost has).

Old fireplaces can develop chimney combustion issues over time. A fireplace should keep you safe as it keeps you warm, so ongoing problems warrant a professional inspection.

A fireplace restoration ensures the lifespan of your fireplace. In addition to eliminating the fire risk from creosote buildup, you’ll have the opportunity to address any flaws in the construction such as the masonry around the hearth, cracks or chips to the material, etc. 

Call SERVPRO for a Fireplace Cleaning & Fire Mitigation

SERVPRO is the one to call for Dallas fire damage restoration, but we’d rather help homeowners prevent a house fire before it starts. Now that you are aware of the risk of creosote buildup in chimneys, you can be proactive about keeping your fireplace clean.

When it’s time for a professional fireplace cleaning or restoration, call SERVPRO at (972) 986-7677 for a free estimate for your fireplace maintenance plan.