Chimney Cleaning & Inspection

What Occurs During a Chimney Cleaning and Inspection

• A Chimney Service appointment takes approximately 60-90 minutes.
• We protect your floors with drop cloths and by removing our boots. We guarantee we will not leave a soot mess in your house.
• A regular (Non-glaze creosote removal) chimney cleaning is included in every chimney service. This assures that the flue interior is clean enough to be viewed by the Chim Scan® camera.
• Once the chimney is clean, our CSIA certified technician performs a top to bottom visual inspection of the chimney. The inspection helps determine if there is any damage, the cause, and extent of the damage, and it helps to determine repair options.
• Our interior camera inspection (chimney scan) is performed, where possible with the state of the art Chim Scan® camera. The Chim Scan® is specially designed for the rugged environment of a chimney interior.
• You receive a Written Condition Report of your chimney with any recommended repairs. There will be a thorough explanation of the cause and extent of any damage to repair solutions.
• Our chimney technicians will take digital photos of your chimney. We will explain our findings to you. We can email the digital photos to you if you request them.
• If needed, you will receive a written Repair Proposal. We try to give you the total repair cost barring any hidden or concealed conditions.
• It is best if the client is present for the Chimney Service so we can explain our findings and answer any questions.

The Chimney Service must be done for some types of chimney relines, Heat Shield estimates and any repair estimates that require a chimney interior inspection.

Steps for a Regular Chimney Cleaning

Solid Fuel Burning Appliance Cleanings

This includes wood, pellet, coal, and fireplaces, inserts, and freestanding stoves. When you schedule a chimney cleaning, one of our trained chimney technicians will come to your home to service your chimney. These services will include:

• Sweeping the flue
• Cleaning out the smoke shelf and fireplace throat
• Cleaning out the connector pipe
• Cleaning out the firebox

Oil Heating Appliances Cleanings

For these appliances, our chimney technicians will use a vacuum truck to:

• Sweep the flue
• Shovel out the soot and debris that the technician has knocked down
• Clean out the connector pipe
• Visual Inspection of all accessible areas of the chimney
• Digital photos of the chimney exterior

Light Soot/Minimal Creosote Removal

In the event you need soot or creosote removal our chimney technicians will use a portable dust collector to:

• Thoroughly clean most wood-burning flues
• Provide you with a written condition report
• Visually inspect all flues

Heavy Soot or Extreme Dust Control

For heavy soot or dust removal, our chimney technicians will utilize the vacuum truck for the following conditions:

• All oil appliance flues
• White or light colored carpeting
• A chimney that can’t be cleaned otherwise
• Removing debris blockages
• Same documentation as in regular chimney cleaning (See above)

Chimney cleaning for glazed creosote removal We utilize mechanical and chemical methods to remove heavy build-up of glazed creosote. Note: 1/8th inch of glaze creosote poses a potential chimney fire risk.

• Possible Creosote Removal Options: Mechanical removal with rotary power equipment
• Chemical treatment with ACS (Anti-Creo-Soot)
• Chemical treatment with Cre-Away Powder
• Chemical treatment with PCR (Poultice Creosote Remover)