Category Archives: Chimney Sweep

Call your chimney sweep today

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Autumn is the time of year to call your chimney sweepThe kids are back to school and life has returned to the normal routine. The leaves are starting to turn colors. Sunrise is later and sunset is earlier. Autumn is here. Soon enough you’ll be looking at the fireplace, wanting to light a fire on a cool evening. Then you realize that you can’t remember the last time you hired a chimney sweep.

Chimney-related businesses are very seasonal. The best time to contact a chimney sweep is in the spring and summer when the rates are the lowest and you can get an appointment within a short amount of time. Waiting until it gets cold will mean paying more and having to wait four or five weeks (sometimes more) for an appointment.

Call a chimney sweep today before the rates go up.

Six things to consider when hiring a chimney sweep

1) CSIA Certification – Make sure that you’re using a CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep. These are highly trained chimney professionals, educated in current building codes and fire codes. They also have to sign a very strict code of ethics. This certification must be renewed every three years in order to stay up-to-date with these codes. To find a Certified Chimney Sweep, go to the website for the Chimney Safety Institute of America. Enter your zip code in the search box at the top. It’ll then give you a whole list of CSIA Certified Chimney Sweeps from closest to furthest away within a 50-mile radius.

2) General Liability Insurance – Any contractor who steps on your property should carry general liability insurance. If a treeContractor with tool belt trimmer cuts down your tree and it lands on your neighbor’s roof, without insurance, the homeowner may be financially responsible for those repairs to the neighbor’s roof. Ask the contractor for a copy of his “Certificate of Insurance.”

3) State Contractor’s License – In California, any work that amounts to more than $500 (labor and materials) requires a contractor’s license. To check a contractor’s license in California, go to the website for the California State Licensing Board. In most cases, because chimney sweeping falls below the $500 limit, a contractor’s license is not required but having a license adds to the legitimacy of the business.

4) Workers’ Compensation – If an employee of a contractor becomes injured while on your property, workers’ compensation will pay for the employee’s injuries. This is very important protection for the homeowner. Imagine if an employee of a tree contractor cuts off his hand while cutting down your tree and the employee doesn’t have workers’ compensation coverage, the homeowner may be financially responsible for those injuries. To determine if the contractor carries workers’ compensation insurance, go to the California State Licensing Board website and enter the license number. The website will provide information on workers’ compensation coverage. Another way to verify coverage is to ask the contractor for a copy of his Workers’ Compensation Proof of Insurance.

5) References – To find a qualified company, ask your friends, family, and co-workers who they’ve used. Word of mouth is a great way to find a chimney sweep company. But be sure to check on the contractor’s certification, license and workers’ compensation.

6) Reviews – Check a company’s reputation by going to Google Reviews, Nextdoor, Yelp, Angie’s List, or Better Business Bureau. If you see a lot of bad reviews, it’s best to choose a different company.

Call your chimney sweep today before you start using your fireplace!

Chimney Sweep girl

DIY Chimney Sweep

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Chimney Sweep girlAbout once a year, I receive a phone call from a homeowner who wants to sweep his own chimney. The first thing I say is, “You will only do it once.” Here are 5 reasons why, if you try to sweep your own chimney, you will definitely call a professional chimney sweep the next time!

1) IMPROPER CHIMNEY SWEEP EQUIPMENT

The proper chimney sweep equipment is expensive. Some people mistakenly think that you can use a regular home vacuum cleaner to vacuum the fireplace ashes. Even a ‘shop vac’ vacuum cleaner will potentially create soot and dust to blow back into the room because standard vacuum cleaners don’t have the special filters that prevent the fine particulates of soot from getting through the filter. These fine particulates of sooty and oily dust can leave a dark residue on carpet, furniture and window coverings, creating permanent damage to your home. You will forever be cleaning the black sooty residue from every nook and crevice in your home. In addition, because home vacuums are not designed for soot, you will ruin your home vacuum cleaner.

Another situation is in the case of prefab fireplaces. These systems require a very specific type of brush. Using improper brushes or brushing with too much force will potentially disconnect or damage the pipe, requiring replacement of the flue pipe. Once the flue pipe is disconnected, you’ve compromised the joint and the entire flue system must be replaced.

2) CREATE EXPENSIVE DAMAGE

Not long ago, I received a call from a Do-It-Yourself homeowner who decided to clean out his free-standing stove. He took apart the pipe and realized that he had gotten in over his head because he didn’t know how to put the pipe back together. Because he took the pipe apart incorrectly, the pipe had to be replaced because he had compromised the joints in the pipe. In addition, when he took apart the pipe, soot went everywhere in his living room, creating extensive damage to the flooring, furniture and window coverings. The room even needed to be painted. Many times a professional chimney sweep doesn’t even have to disconnect the flue pipe because he has invested in the appropriate equipment and training to do the job properly and without any mess.

3) CREATE A MORE DANGEROUS SITUATION

Do-It-Yourself homeowners don’t understand how chimneys are built. Simply pushing the creosote down the flue pipe, the creosote lands in the offset area of the chimney behind the damper called the smoke shelf. Untrained homeowners don’t understand that the smoke shelf must be vacuumed out with the appropriate type of vacuum. If the smoke shelf is full of creosote, the homeowner has now moved the creosote, which is highly flammable, closer to the heat source in the firebox. That homeowner has now created more of a fire hazard than what he was trying to prevent.

4) SAFETY OF THE HOMEOWNER

ladder against houseWhen a homeowner isn’t accustomed to being on a ladder or he doesn’t know how to safely get on and off a roof or how to walk on a roof without falling, the homeowner is endangering his life or potentially suffering a crippling injury.

Homeowners may not have safe ladders for their roof. Professional chimney sweeps will have ladders tall enough. According to OSHA, “ladders must extend at least three feet above the point of support” which is where the ladder rests against the roof eave.

In addition, professional chimney sweeps have special “feet” attached to the bottom of the ladder called ladder “levelers” to prevent slippage, to stabilize the ladder and to adjust to uneven ground.

5) INSPECTING THE SYSTEM

The most important part of sweeping the chimney is inspecting the system. Because a homeowner hasn’t had the proper training and education, the Do-It-Yourselfer will not know what to look for after the system is swept. Will that homeowner recognize a cracked flue lining? Or a disconnected flue pipe? Or if a termination cap is blocking the flue pipe or not venting properly? And what about the chimney system’s general condition? It’s important to know what to look for. These are all potentially dangerous situations that a homeowner will not recognize.

HOW TO FIND A QUALIFIED CHIMNEY SWEEP

Make sure you use a chimney sweep certified through the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA). CSIA Certification is a nationwide standard and provides the most highly trained chimney professionals who must sign a strict code of ethics. Here are 5 things to consider when hiring a local chimney sweep. 

There are many maintenance projects a Do-It-Yourself homeowner can do on their own to save money, but when it comes to your safety and the safety of your family and your home, homeowners should leave certain maintenance projects to the experts. Know your limitations!

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!