Monday, December 11, 2017
A question we are commonly asked............ Is it necessary to clean the chimney of a gas fireplace????.............. There are different components to every gas fireplace system. We must determine the fireplace system that the question pertains to. 1- gas logs in a masonry fireplace. 2- 2- a sealed unit with a glass front that is called a direct vent fireplace. 3- 3- a ventless gas fireplace either in a prefab mode, or in a masonry mode. [not legal in Canada]
The chimney should have been swept prior to the installation of any natural gas appliance and liner so we will assume it has been. So, again, a very important point. Before installing any gas appliance into a Chimney system, it shall be inspected on a level II inspection. This is a code requirements set forth by the national fire protection Association code 211. During the inspection we would expect to have the debris removed and a video camera introduced into the inner parts of the Chimney system to make sure that there are no deficiencies throughout the entire system to the top of the chimney. Any deficiencies noted must be corrected, replaced, or repaired, before the usage of any new appliance.
Now, back to the original question, does it need to be cleaned? Not to dodge the question, but NFPA211 requires that the fireplaces to be inspected on an annual basis, and cleaned if necessary. Normally, with an efficient burning gas appliance in a direct vent mode, we would not expect to find sufficient amount of accumulation to require cleaning, but they should be checked annually in case of animal/bird intrusion or even spider webbing formations in the chimney system. At the time of cleaning your tech should perform all various other safety inspection points. Pilot height, thermocouple strength, thermopile strength, and gas leak testing. Also attention is given to the installation strength, at the joints, at the termination, and at the beginning. Also, blockages are verified to not exist.
So, the correct answer to the question is... It depends on the type of installation and the amount of usage since it was last inspected. we cannot tell someone that it would be okay to be two or three years usage without cleaning it when there could exist a very maladjusted burner producing a lot of carbon to put the homeowner at risk in a shorter period of time. Therefore, Clean the system out every spring, that is why the code exists." To be on the safe side." And always call a Licensed Gas Technician to do any service work on your Furnaces and Gas Appliances
