Clean your chimney before you burn

Cold temperatures mean a booming business for area chimney sweeps. Tim McLean of McLean Chimney Sweep says this is a busy time of year.<br><br>The Tulsa Fire Department recommends you have wood burning

Monday, November 25th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Cold temperatures mean a booming business for area chimney sweeps. Tim McLean of McLean Chimney Sweep says this is a busy time of year.

The Tulsa Fire Department recommends you have wood burning fireplaces and chimneys inspected every year and cleaned regularly. McLean says customers usually wait too long. They donâ€™t call until their chimneys back up and the house fills with smoke. "That's if you're lucky; if you're not lucky and your house catches fire, your chimney catches fire, it cracks the flu tile, takes the path of least resistance and will go toward whatever wood or combustibles are in its way, and that's how the fire starts."

McLean recommends you burn hard woods, which are at least a year old. That cuts down on chimney buildup that can lead to fire.