The chimneys above the fireplace in your home are prone to high deposition of soot and therefore, chimney inspection is a must in order to maintain the efficiency and safety of the entire system. Inspecting a chimney is not a tough job, but one has to be acquainted with the basic skills which enable him to carry on the operations with ease and success. Normally, you need to employ the professionals in order to get your chimneys inspected, and this is done generally once a year on an average. Here are some of the steps you need to know in order to get your chimney inspected.

Steps to inspect a chimney:

First of all, you need to get rid of the rubbish that has been accumulated in the firebox. A hard broom will serve the purpose. Next, you need to vacuum out all the loose ash particles and soot that has been deposited in the fireplace over the time.
While you are busy with chimney cleaning, you must keep in mind to open the screen and glass door as wide as possible so that no dust particle remains hidden.
The damper must operate smoothly and fit accurately in the brackets. One must take precautions sand wear goggles as the soot and ash particles may harm the eyes.
To keep your room clean from the materials dropping down the chimney, you can place a cardboard piece or plastic sheet in front of the firebox.
Having done so, you need to use a ladder to climb up to the roof and inspect the area where the projection of the chimney is placed. It may have a cover to protect it against rain or birds. You need to remove this cover to have free access to the chimney.
You will need a powerful flashlight so that you may peep into the flute of the chimney and check out if there are dangerous lumps of creosote. Apart from this, there may also be wood particles or other remains blocking the chimney. All you need is a powerful chimney brush with a long handle. Using it, you need to brush off all the sides of the cylindrical object.
You may need a long pipe, preferably PVC in order to scrub off the remaining stuff.
The chimney company must have efficient personnel who can the joint where the chimney is attached to the roof and clean the dust.