It’s the best time of year to clean your flue

During autumn and winter, we love to be able to use our wood heaters to keep us warm and our home cosy and inviting. This can all grind to a halt if a flue hasn’t been cleaned and a fire starts, flue fires can spread quickly to the rest of the house.

Even if a dirty flue doesn’t lead to an accidental fire, it can also mean a slow-drawing flue that builds smoke up inside the house.When it comes to cleaning the flue on your wood heater, you can do it yourself, or, if you are in any doubt, call in the professionals.

Why is it so important to clean your flue?

One of the biggest reasons is to prevent a fire in the flue, if a fire does start it will probably spread quickly to the rest of the house. This may happen due to a build-up of organic materials, such as leaves or birds’ nests, soot, and creosote inside the chimney flue. The flue is the masonry or metal duct that extends from the fireplace up to the top of the chimney, with creosote and soot caused when using wood heaters.

The groundwork for a chimney fire begins well in advance of the fire happening, often it can take years of build up before a fire may start. It is for this reason every summer you should consider having your flue cleaned or at least checked to prevent this build up. Also, you want the flue cleaned when it’s not going to be in use.

Even if a flue fire doesn’t consume your home, it can still suffer substantial damage needing expensive repairs.

Signs that your chimney needs cleaning:

  • Soot and creosote sometimes fall into your fireplace.
  • You burn unseasoned or inadequately seasoned wood, that takes a long time to burn, or doesn’t burn completely. Wood usually needs six months of seasoning to expel enough moisture for proper burning.
  • Thick and puffy or honeycombed creosote is present inside the flue
  • Smoke accumulates in the house when you have a fire
  • You burn a lot of artificial logs

Always remember – safety first:

Chimney or flue cleaning is generally a safe project as long as you take a few precautions. You need to protect not only yourself, but your property against creosote, soot and other debris. You can stay clean by wearing a dusk mask, gloves, long sleeve clothing and a hat, and because a chimney or flue brush has sharp metal bristles, wear safety glasses too.

You also need to be able to safely access and/or stand on your roof. Use an extension ladder, not a step ladder, raise the ladder so it not only rests against the eaves it extends at least 60cm above the eaves. Cleaning the flue is the best way to prevent accidental fires keeping you and your family safe.

Read More:



  • Spring Is a Great Time to Clean Your Fireplace

    Congratulations! You made it through another winter, thanks to your trusty fireplace who stood by you the whole time and was literally the light of your life. Spring has sprung and as your fireplace goes into retirement for...

  • The Most Stylish Gas Fireplace Options in Sydney

    When you’re shopping for gas fireplaces, Sydney is the perfect market. Our Hawkesbury Heating showroom has lots of models from reliable brands like Lopi, Regency, Gazco, and more. You could order a stylish in-built unit or...

  • Tips for Creating a Rustic Look with Your New Fireplace Installation

    Many people who dream of having a fireplace in their home are looking to bring a little bit of the charm of a rustic, cozy cabin into their home. Achieving that feel in a more modern home can be tricky, as a brand-new fireplace...

Specialist in BBQ's, Wood and
Gas Heaters and Pizza Ovens.