Chimney sweep in Crown Point with written pricing first

Why chemical sprays do not replace brushing

Chimney cleaning sprays and powders are sold with the promise of loosening creosote. Some can change how a deposit behaves, but none of them carry it out of the flue. Mechanical brushing is still what removes the material, and whatever a product loosens still has to be brushed down and carried out.

Manufacturer instructions are cautious about chemicals. One maker of metal chimneys says to use chemical cleaners only as a last resort, and only products whose manufacturer specifically warrants them as non-corrosive to the chimney. A spray that is harmless on clay tile may not be harmless on a stainless system.

Our crew brushes first. Where a glazed deposit calls for a chemical treatment, we use one made for that job, apply it per its label, check it against the chimney maker's instructions and list it on your estimate as a separate line.

A sweep before you list your home

Buyers and their inspectors look up the chimney. A flue coated in soot, a smoke shelf full of debris or a damper that will not move raises questions that are easy to answer ahead of time.

A sweep before listing cleans the flue, firebox and damper and gives you a dated written record of the work that you can hand to a buyer. It also shows you what needs repair before a buyer's inspector finds it.

Those repair items are listed separately, so you can choose which to fix, which to price into the sale and which to disclose. Timing helps too, since booking the sweep before the listing goes up leaves room to finish any repair you decide to make. Sellers in Crown Point get the same free inspection and written estimate as anyone else.

Where the ashes go after a fire

Ashes can hold heat long after a fire looks out. NFPA safety advice has ashes cool down first, then go into a metal container set well away from the house. EPA guidance adds a covered metal container stored outdoors on a nonflammable surface.

Old ash left in the firebox for weeks also holds moisture and adds to the smell of an idle fireplace. During a sweep, our crew removes the old ash and debris for you. Between visits, emptying the firebox into the right container is the homeowner's part.

• A metal container with a tight lid
• Set outside on concrete or bare ground, not a wood deck
• No paper bags, plastic bins or cardboard boxes
• Kept away from the house, fences and the garage

Carbon monoxide alarms on every level

EPA guidance notes that smoke from wood that does not burn completely contains carbon monoxide, a gas you cannot see. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission wants a CO alarm, battery-operated or with battery backup, on each floor of the house and outside the bedrooms, and NFPA advice is to install them and keep them working. The same advice says all fuel-burning equipment should vent to the outside, which is the whole job of the flue.

If a CO alarm sounds, get everyone out of the house into fresh air and call 911. Do not go back inside to open the damper or put out the fire.

A clean flue helps combustion gases leave the house, but it does not replace an alarm. Test alarms the way their maker directs and replace them when they reach the end of their service life. Our technicians mention it if they see no alarm near the fireplace room.