Frequency of Cleaning
Your chimney may have several different flues inside the brick or wood casing. Depending on which flue you are concerned about there are different sweeping recommendations.
See our FAQs to understand what a flue is.
Fireplaces
Our experience has shown us that typically, burning approximately one cord of wood in a fireplace will produce enough creosote build-up to warrant a cleaning. (See FAQs for the amount of wood in a cord). This is only a rule of thumb and under certain burning conditions the need for sweeping could come sooner.
Woodstoves
Woodstove owners typically burn more often, and for a longer duration than our clients who have open fireplaces. If you use your stove to heat the house or supplement the heat you are probably going through several cords of wood per year. Many of our clients who regularly use their woodstoves have a mid-season sweep in addition to the end of season sweep.
Heating Flues
Most heating appliances vent the exhaust gases through your chimney. They use a separate flue from the flue used by the fireplace or woodstove. If you heat with oil this flue needs to be swept on a regular basis to prevent deterioration of the clay tiles or metal pipes that the venting flue is constructed with. Our technician will tell you how often your heating flue should be cleaned depending on the particular installation of your appliance.
Our Cleaning Methods
The work can be done from the inside or outside of the home depending on the construction or installation. Whether you have a large masonry fireplace, a heating flue or a metal factory-built chimney system our brushes and equipment will remove all loose creosote and soot without damage to the chimney. (This includes the connector pipes in factory built chimneys, which can become separated when inappropriate brushes or rods are used.) All the soot and creosote dislodged during the cleaning process is removed from the smoke shelf and firebox. Using drop cloths and a high-speed vacuum permits us to guarantee no mess when we are finished!
Our sweeps include a Level I Inspection, and our technicians will provide you with information regarding any problems or concerns discovered during the cleaning process.