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Whenever our technicians are conducting a furnace cleaning, or even an air duct cleaning, it is standard practice for them to assess the condition of the furnace flue for cleaning as well. Many customers, though familiar with the importance of furnace and air duct cleaning, are unaware that the furnace flue needs to be cleaned regularly as well—for reasons of unit efficiency and more importantly for carbon monoxide safety. What is a furnace flue? The furnace flue, sometimes referred to as the furnace chimney, is a roughly 4-inch pipe that funnels exhaust from the furnace and ushers it safely out of the house through the roof. (It’s worth mentioning that in homes newer than 2010, the unit would likely exhaust by way of a PVC “power vent,” not the conventional flue this article refers to.) The furnace flue is often housed in the same masonry chimney as the fireplace flue, but not always. The technician checks the flue by removing an access panel on the flue itself, or he creates an access point below, near