Just like a fireplace flue, wood stoves need to be swept annually to ensure they are safely venting and for good preventative maintenance.
Wood Stove Sweep
Homeowners love their stoves because of their excellent radiant heat output, efficient wood use, relatively clean hearth, and beautiful flame experience. The drawback is that wood stoves often burn much sootier than an open fireplace and faulty installation and configuration can contribute to house fires. An annual inspection and sweep service is required by the National Fire Protection Association code 2.11 and ensures they are venting safely and performing optimally.
A wood stove sweep appointment consists of both a top-to-bottom sweep and a safety inspection. A sweep of the stove includes the flue and stove smoke shelf whenever possible. The technician will then perform a safety inspection of your wood stove including the fire bricks, baffle, damper, air flow controllers, connector pipes, and flue. It is important to note that, depending on how your stove is installed, some areas of the system may not be visible during a Level 1 inspection.
