Site of the Day for Monday, September 24, 2007 Cleaning Stovepipes and Chimneys Today's site, from the Department of Agricultural Engineering through the Extension division of the University of Missouri, offers practical safety advice to prevent chimney fires. Gentle Subscribers will find excellent guidelines for keeping their flues creosote free. "With ever-increasing fuel costs, heating with wood has again become very popular ... But this increased use of wood-heating equipment brings with it the need for constant, careful attention to assure the safe and efficient use of this heat source. One area often ignored is the special care needed for the chimney." - from the website Making a compelling case for ongoing chimney maintenance, the site notes what to do in case of a chimney fire, as well as the severe consequences in terms of structural damage which may occur. Step-by-step instructions are provided for those who prefer to tackle cleaning the chimney themselves instead of hiring a chimney sweep, including the equipment required, from flashlight to dust mask, as well as the essential wire brush. Additional information covers the best method for cleaning the debris at the bottom of the chimney, after the inside of the flue has been cleared. Nip over to the site for sound suggestions for chimney fire prevention at: http://extension.missouri.edu/explore/agguides/agengin/g01735.htm A.M. Holm <admin-sotd@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> Manage your subscription and view the List archives on the web at: <//www.freelists.org/cgi-bin/webpage?webpage_id=sotd> and <//www.freelists.org/archives/sotd> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ UNSUBSCRIBE by sending a blank email to sotd-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with unsubscribe in the Subject field.