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A house on fire

5 Things to consider when hiring a Chimney Sweep

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A house ablaze due to a chimney fireImagine watching the local evening news that shows a story of a hapless victim of a chimney fire, resulting in a house burned to the ground. It makes you realize that it’s been far too long since you had your own chimney looked at, and you make a mental note to call a chimney sweep to set up an appointment. The next morning, you get on the internet to search for a chimney sweep and you realize that you don’t even know what to look for.

Many people aren’t aware that in most of the United States, there are absolutely no regulations on the chimney sweeping trade. This means that anybody can go out and claim they’re a chimney sweep and start a business. They may know little or nothing about chimneys, so it’s imperative to hire a chimney sweep company that has been specifically trained and is experienced with chimneys and fireplaces. Your family’s lives, pets and belongings may depend on hiring a qualified chimney sweep.

So what do you consider when hiring a chimney sweep? Certainly not someone dressed like Dick Van Dyke from Mary Poppins!

What to consider in finding a qualified Chimney Sweep

Certification

There are a number of chimney sweep certifications in the U.S. but by far thLogo that reads "Certified Chimney Sweep"e most mainstream is the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA). To become certified, an individual is required to take a test every three years based on the International Residential Code, the National Fire Protection Association 211 Manual, the Successful Chimney Sweeping Manual, and then sign a strict code of ethics. To find a CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep, go to the CSIA website at www.csia.org and put in your zip code in the upper left corner. It will then provide you with a comprehensive list of all the CSIA Certified Chimney Sweeps within a 50-mile radius.

General Liability Insurance

Whether it’s a tree removal company, a plumber or a chimney sweep, make sure that any contractor working on your property always carries general liability insurance. Ask to see the proof of insurance. This is for your protection as a homeowner. As an example, if a tree removal company chops down a tree and it lands on your neighbor’s roof, if that contractor doesn’t have insurance, guess who pays for the damage to your neighbor’s roof? YOU!

State Contractor’s License

In California, any work that amounts to $500 or more (labor and materials) requires a contractor’s license. This protects the homeowner. Find out the statusLogo for the California State Licensing Board of a contractor’s license by going to the California State Licensing Board website at www.cslb.ca.gov. You can check the license by license number, contractor’s name or name of the business. An average chimney sweeping service falls well short of the $500 limit, but if the chimney sweep performs any repairs, it could exceed that limit and it’s best to know in advance. The contractor’s license also adds to the legitimacy of the business.

References by friends, family, or co-workers

One of the best ways to find a reputable chimney sweep company is word of mouth. Find out from your friends, family or co-workers if they were happy with the chimney sweep they’ve used, but be sure to follow up by checking the status of their certification, insurance, and contractor’s license.

Reviews and Reports about the Company

Check out the company’s reputation on Yelp at www.yelp.com, Angie’s List at www.angieslist.com or Better Business Bureau at www.bbb.org. If you see a lot of bad reviews, it’s best to go to the next company on the list.

Caveat Emptor – Phone Scams

This is Latin for “Let the Buyer Beware” and this is especially true for any homebuyer who receives a phone call from someone, anyone, who calls you on the phone to solicit your business. You have absolutely no way of knowing who is actually calling you. Even though you are on the Do Not Call Registry at www.donotcall.gov, that won’t stop an unscrupulous company from lying to you and convincing you that they are your chimney sweep company and it’s time for a chimney sweep. We’ve even had these unscrupulous companies call our loyal customers. Our customers have even responded by saying that they use our company and these unscrupulous companies have said that we were no longer in business. Remember: NEVER do business with anybody who calls you on the phone!  And this rule of thumb doesn’t just apply to a chimney sweep service.

In conclusion…

Spending a few minutes of extra effort will ensure that you find the right chimney sweep company and that your house won’t end up on the local evening news!

Spring flowers with the words "Time for a Spring Cleaning"

10 Easy Steps to Spring Cleaning Your Fireplace

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Spring flowers with the words "Time for a Spring Cleaning"Spring has sprung and it’s time for some spring cleaning, and that includes your fireplace! Many people would agree that one of the least favorite household chores is cleaning out the fireplace after the last fire of the season but it doesn’t have to be difficult with some easy tips. Ashes should be removed from the fireplace during the spring to avoid what we refer to as “Stinky Chimney Syndrome.”

10 Easy Steps to Cleaning Out the Fireplace

1. Make sure the ashes are completely cool before starting. It’s best to wait at least 48 hours after a fire in order to allow the ashes to completely cool.

2. If you have respiratory problems, asthma or allergies, use a mask. Breathing in the fine particulates can irritate the lungs of people who have respiratory problems. Better yet, if you have any kind of lung problems, let someone else in your family do this chore!!

3. Place plastic sheeting around the fireplace to ensure ashes don’t get on your carpeting. Wipe down the grate and place it to the side on the plastic sheeting.

4. Remove about a cup of ashes from the firebox and set aside. This will be used later to clean the glass in the glass doors.

5. Sprinkle some slightly damp, used coffee grounds on top of the ashes inside the firebox. This will settle down any dust and cut down on the fly-away ash, making it easier (and healthier) to sweep up.

6. Using a whisk broom and a dust pan, place the chunks of wood and ashes in a metal container with a lid. Sweep each interior wall of the firebox from top to bottom.

7. Brush each firescreen mesh from top to bottom. We find, for whatever reason, that firescreens tend to collect “dust bunnies.”

8. Place the metal container of ashes outside but never place the metal container on a wooden deck or patio if the ashes are warm. We’ve heard too many stories of houses burning down from this simple mistake.

9. Avoid harsh chemicals to clean the glass doors. Simply dip some damp newspapers in the ashes that you set aside and rub the glass to remove the soot and build-up. Because the ash is somewhat gritty, it’s much better at removing the residue off the glass than normal glass cleaners. Afterwards, spray white vinegar on the glass and wipe down with a soft rag to get the glass sparkling clean.

10. The last step is to close the damper. An open damper is the same as an open window. During the summer when you’re running your air conditioning with the damper open, all you’re doing is sucking the heat down the chimney and into the house, totally defeating the whole purpose of having your air conditioning on. Close the damper and you will save money on your electric bills. Just don’t forget to open your damper in the fall when you go to use your fireplace!

A Word of Warning

Don’t try to take the easy way out by using your household vacuum cleaner to remove the ashes from the firebox! You run the risk of ruining your vacuum cleaner so use a whisk broom and dustpan instead. In addition, the average household vacuum cleaner does not have the proper filter to prevent soot “blow-back” into the room. This blow-back may create a sooty mess on your carpeting, furniture, walls and window coverings. Even a Shop-Vac has the potential for creating blow-back. Professional chimney sweeps use industrial vacuums with special HEPA filters specifically designed to contain the fine particulates of soot.

The Best Solution

Of course, the easiest way to clean out your fireplace is to call your chimney sweep who’ll take care of that nasty chore for you as part of sweeping your chimney! In addition, your chimney will get a thorough inspection, inside and out, to make sure that it’s ready for the next burning season. The bonus is that we offer a discount during the spring and summer, so call Swede Chimney Sweep today at 858-573-1672. Check us out at www.swedesweep.com for additional information.

3 kids in front of fireplace

A Chimney Sweep Company is Born!

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the future chimney sweep in front of fireplace
Me with my 2 brothers at about the age I started cleaning my very first fireplace!

This is the first of what will be many posts about chimneys and fireplaces. This first post is responding to a very common question we get asked all the time–-“How in the world did you decide to become a chimney sweep?” The response to this common question seemed a great way to start off our new blog!

When I was a child, growing up in the 1960’s and 70’s, I never imagined in a million years that I would be a co-owner in a chimney sweep company. In fact, ironically, one of my chores as a 10-year-old little girl was cleaning out the fireplace. I detested the job so much that I figured out a way to clean it out with minimal time and effort. When the firebox was clean, I lined the bottom of the firebox with aluminum foil. When I went to clean it out, I lifted out the grate and carefully rolled up the foil and, VOILA’, the fireplace was instantly clean. Whoever said that “Necessity was the mother of Invention” was a genius.

About 20 years later, back in the mid-1980’s, a very close friend of ours and his wife decided to start up a chimney sweep business. Living in beautiful San Diego, we actually laughed at them. After all, how much of a need was there for a chimney sweep in sunny San Diego? After further thought, we realized that just about every house in San Diego has a fireplace.

About that time, the population in the City of San Diego was about 900,000 people and in the county there were 2 million people, so doing the math, that meant a heck of a lot of chimneys. Nine years later, in 1994, our friends decided to move back to Sweden which was where he grew up and so we bought their business.

About that time, we had two little boys, ages 1 and 3, who were the joys of our life. Rick and I both worked many hours in our respective jobs (Rick as a service manager in the automotive field and me as an administrative assistant in the corporate world) and we regretted the fact that we were missing out on our kids’ lives. By buying the chimney sweep business, it allowed us to manage our time more effectively and be the parents we wanted to be. We ran it as a home-based business and we were able to work our chimney sweep schedule around our kids’ activities–school, play dates, Cub Scouts, Little League, Boy Scouts, water polo, swim team, cross country meets, and school theatre productions. We still worked a lot of hours for our business but we were able to work around our kids’ schedules. That parental involvement has paid off. Those two little boys are now 21 and 23 and have turned into the great young men that any parent would be proud of.

So when I think back to when I was 10 years old and grumbling and griping about the dirty job of cleaning out the fireplace, I have to smile and realize that the chore I despised the most as a child would ultimately provide us with a way to be active and involved in raising our own two sons. Ahhh….the Circle of Life!