Chimney cleaning

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Radio interview source: Ashley Eldridge, director of education, Chimney Safety Institute of America

One time when I was a kid, Dad started a fire in the fireplace, and smoked filled the living room. He called a chimney sweep, and turns out, a bird had built a nest up there.

Ashley Eldridge is the director for the Chimney Safety Institute of America. He says a chimney needs to be inspected at least once a year, whether you use it often or not.

"The real issue is people who haven't used their fireplace frequently may think that there's no need for the sweeping to take place, but there are other things besides soot and creosote that collect in the chimney that could create problems for them," Eldridge says. "Like birds and squirrels, and leaves and branches, ducks and basketballs, and stuff like that."

If you burn wood, there's not any specific variety that gives off more soot. Eldridge says it's the way the fire burns that makes the difference. Creosote that lines the chimney is basically unspent fuel. So use well-dried wood: it burns fast and leaves very little deposit in the chimney.