Chimney sweep and fireplace cleaning in Dover Estates

Rods and brushes sized to your flue

A brush that is too small spins through the middle of a flue and leaves the corners coated. One that is too large jams or strains the lining. Before any cleaning, our technicians measure the flue opening and choose a brush head that matches its size and shape, whether round, square or rectangular.

The rods connect in sections, so the length grows with the chimney. Flexible rods follow a flue that offsets. Stiffer rods give more push in a straight run with heavy deposits. Several brush heads may be used in one flue as the work moves from loose soot to more stubborn buildup.

Every sweep we do starts with that match, because the right brush does more of the work than extra force does.

• Flue size and shape measured before brushing
• Brush head matched to the lining
• Rod length set to the full height of the flue
• Extra passes where deposits are heaviest

After a flue fire, the chimney waits for a check

If you know or suspect that a fire once burned inside your flue, say so before the sweep. One chimney maker notes that ignited creosote makes an extremely hot fire, and its instructions say the chimney should not be used again after a flue fire until it has been inspected for damage.

That sets the order of the visit. The sweep clears the deposits so the surfaces can be seen, and anything unusual our technicians notice in the deposits, the lining or the metal parts is described in writing, without guessing at the cause. A formal evaluation of possible fire damage belongs to our chimney inspection service, and the fireplace stays out of use until it is done.

A fire burning in the flue right now is a different situation. Get everyone out of the house and call 911 first.

The tee cap at the base of an outside metal chimney

Some wood stoves vent through a wall into a metal chimney that runs up the outside of the house. At the bottom of that outside run there is often a tee with a removable cleanout cap. One maker's instructions, for its DuraTech chimney, describe taking off that tee cap for cleaning and putting it back when the cleaning is finished.

The tee is where brushing debris collects, and it is also where it comes out. Our crew brushes the chimney from the top or from the tee, empties the soot through the cleanout and cleans the horizontal pipe that runs through the wall to the stove.

The cap has to go back on firmly, or rain and animals get a way in. If it is rusted, bent or missing, our technicians quote the matching part from the same maker, since a factory-built chimney keeps its listed parts. That shows up as a separate item on the estimate.

A last sweep before you stop using a fireplace

If you have decided to stop using a wood fireplace, a last sweep before closing it off is worth doing. Deposits left in a flue that no one watches can hold moisture, smell and draw animals, and they stay there indefinitely.

After the sweep, the flue still needs a plan. A cap keeps rain and animals out, and a closed damper keeps room air from flowing up the chimney. Our technicians explain which of those your system already has and what it would need.

Closing off a fireplace for good is a separate decision from cleaning it, and it does not have to be made the same day. For homeowners in Dover Estates, the estimate lists the sweep and any cap or damper work on separate lines. If the fireplace comes back into use someday, the record from the last sweep tells the next person what they are starting with.