CHIMNEY CLEANING: A DO IT YOURSELF APPROACH in Fort Salonga, NY
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- Prepare the Area Around Your Chimney
First thing’s first. You should remove anything that is in front of your Fort Salonga, NY fireplace. Also, move any furniture as far away as possible. If you don’t want anything getting dirty, make sure you cover everything with old sheets. You should also roll back any rugs that are near the fireplace. If you have carpeting, it would be wise to set down a tarp.
- Remove the Grate from the Fireplace
This may go without saying, but do not operate an open flame in the area surrounding the fireplace while attempting to do any chimney cleaning in Suffolk County. Be sure to wear a dust mask and protective gloves while you attempt to clean the fireplace. While being mindful not to inhale any dust or soot, shovel out ashes and debris from the inside of the fireplace.
- Inspect Your Chimney
Use a torch, (carefully!) to look up the flue of the chimney. If there is a damper fitted to your flue, you will need to ensure it is open. If there is, use the damper handle to push the flap back and lock it open. Check for any animals or birds that may have taken up residence in your Suffolk County chimney. Inspect for any cracks or missing firebricks and take remedial steps if the damage is found. The lining of your flue is important to prevent gas or smoke from escaping. Check the thickness of any creosote build-up using a blade or scraper. If you notice significant damage, it may be time to get some professional chimney cleaning company, or even chimney repair, with Ageless Chimney.
Select Your Brush
By now you should have determined the size and shape of your Suffolk County chimney flue. It will be either square or round. You should also estimate the height of your chimney. Once you choose the correct brush, attach it to a rod. Push the rod up the flue until the bottom end of the rod is in the middle of the fireplace.
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- Scrub, Scrub, Scrub!
Start scrubbing up your chimney by going through the hole in your dust sheet or cardboard, attach another rod to lengthen your chimney brush. Scrub using a slight clockwise movement as you push, and never twist the brush counterclockwise. With a hard and vigorous thrust, scrub the flue with the brush, adding more rods as you proceed up the flue.
- Remove Brush and Soot
You will know that you have reached the top of your chimney when you feel less friction. Withdraw the brush unscrewing one rod at a time. As you unscrew the last rod, let the brush fall into the soot pile that now lies at the bottom of the fireplace. Lift the bottom of the dust sheet or cardboard covering, remove the brush and carefully shovel the pile of soot into a metal bucket.
- Cleaning Up
The first thing you should do is remove any dust cloths or cardboard that may have been assembled. It is now time to get the vacuum or shop vacuum out and clean up all that soot! To complete the project, you will need to assemble the fireplace’s grate once more. If you used an old sheet, you should take it outside and shake it off. As soot is non-toxic and environmentally friendly, it can be buried as a means of disposal. Hard deposits of creosote are corrosive and more toxic, however, they can be buried too. Any edible plants in your garden will not absorb creosote, and when you eat the fruit or vegetables they produce, they will not contain the chemicals present in creosote.
Call Us Today
Getting your chimney swept and inspected improves the quality of the air in your home, keeps your loved ones safe from toxins, and reduces your home’s fire risk. Ageless Chimney takes pride in providing the safest, most cost-effective cleaning procedures. Call us today at 516-795-1313!
Fort Salonga is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Towns of Huntington and Smithtown in Suffolk County, on the North Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 10,008 at the 2010 census.
One night during the Revolutionary War, Colonial forces landed on the beach in nearby Crab Meadow, and moving down the beach overtook the fort.
In the post-Civil War era the rich red clay deposits gave birth to a successful brickworks as well as other trade. Barges loaded with manure swept from the streets of New York City would arrive, and farmers from nearby towns would come to get the manure for fertilizer. The emptied barges were then loaded with bricks for the trip back to the city. One of the brick companies to operate there in the late 19th century was owned by the Brown family, whose bricks bore the initials BBB for Brown’s Best Bricks. The family home on the top of the hill on Breeze Hill Road has served as the clubhouse for the Indian Hills Country Club since 1963.
The name evolved from the Revolutionary War-era British Fort Salonga, or Fort Slongo, (named after one of the fort’s architects) once located near the border of the towns of Huntington and Smithtown, overlooking the Long Island Sound.
Learn more about Fort Salonga.