Chimney Cleaning
Your chimney should be cleaned and inspected after every 1 1/2 to 2 cords of wood burned. If you have a prefab system, we recommend an inspection every year. Sometimes, the chimney is the most overlooked appliance in the home. Remember, you safety depends on a safe reliable chimney and fireplace. Every chimney we inspect and or clean gets a thorough evaluation from top to bottom. You receive a thorough report that outlines the condition of your chimney. Each of our vans contain all of the necessary equipment to perform a thorough evaluation of your chimney. Every technician has his own video camera used to give a better perspective as to the condition of your chimney. In addition, each chimney sweep has his own high powered micro filtered industrial vac. These vacuum systems collect all of the soot and ashes within the chimney system and guarantee absolutely no mess.
Equipment helps get the job done, however it is only as good as the person using it. We take pride in the fact that our technicians are the most experienced and qualified in the area. When your chimney needs cleaning, inspection or repair there is no substitute for Clean Sweep!
The flue lining of a chimney is defined as “A clay, ceramic, or metal conduit installed inside of a chimney, intended to contain the combustion products, direct them to the outside atmosphere, and protect the chimney walls from heat and corrosion. A wise homeowner will want to know about the condition of the chimney, including the flue lining, in the home he owns or plans to buy. We take all of the guesswork out by using a video camera inspection system to view the inside of the flue liner. We check for cracks in the flue tiles or voids in between the flue tiles. Everything is displayed on a video monitor for the sweep to make the safest and most accurate decision about the condition of your chimney.
23,600 Reasons To Have Your Chimney Serviced
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, reports that some 23,600 residential fires in the 50 states were related to solid fuel appliances and equipment in 1996. An additional 5,500 fires were attributed to chimneys and chimney connectors serving heating systems burning liquid and other fuels. As a result of these fires, 130 people died, 230 people were injured, and total property losses were set at more than $184.4 million.
In addition there were a minimum of 119 deaths from carbon monoxide and at least 4,700 "injuries" reported for the same time frame, though most estimates range much higher.
The root cause of most of these losses is that most U.S. homeowners are unaware that chimneys are an integral part of a home heating system and that they require regular evaluation and maintenance. In a great many European countries - including Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Germany - chimney-fire damage statistics have been reduced to negligible numbers because national coalitions of government, insurance companies, fire and building officials, and chimney sweeps have developed tough regulations mandating regularly scheduled chimney inspections and cleaning.
The citizens of those countries understand the hazards of unnmaintained chimneys, and their chimney sweeps are regular members of their home safety team.
Most homeowners in the U.S. and Canada, however, seem to have little working knowledge of chimney and venting systems. This situation is complicated by the fact that faults, damage and problems rarely visible to the casual observer. In fact, people who will quickly replace a faulty automobile exhaust system because of the hazard it presents will allow their home's exhaust system the chimney or vent - to go unchecked and unmaintained for years. The threat of chimney fires and unsafe indoor air quality conditions can be greatly reduced, perhaps even eliminated, if homeowners only understood that chimneys are active home operation systems which require regular maintenance.