LESLIE: Harold, you’ve got The Money Pit. What can we do for you today?
HAROLD: Hello. I live in Colorado and it’s the woodburning time of year. It’s getting cold.
LESLIE: OK.
HAROLD: Have a question about those commercially available fireplace cleaners. They look like logs. You can burn them and they claim to clean your chimney.
LESLIE: Oh, to get rid of the creosote.
HAROLD: Yes.
TOM: Yeah, very bad idea.
HAROLD: Oh.
TOM: They’re extremely corrosive. Very, very corrosive and just not a good idea. It’s kind of like pressure-washing the inside of your chimney, chemically speaking, and certain types of chimneys it’s more damaging than others; especially in the metal chimneys.
HAROLD: Oh, yes.
TOM: But you are always better off hiring a professional, certified chimney sweep than using those chemical sticks. Just not a good idea. Not a great way to clean your chimney.
You want to make sure you have it swept though about every cord of wood. So, of course, a cord of wood is a pile that’s four feet by four feet by eight feet. So if you can sort of time it out that way, depending on how much wood you burn, you need to have it swept professionally.
HAROLD: Wow, I’m very glad I called because it is a metal chimney, so …
TOM: Yeah, bad idea. Very, very corrosive and could result in a very unsafe situation.
HAROLD: Well, thank you very much.
TOM: You’re welcome. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.
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