Chimney sweep for fireplaces and wood stoves in Dover Shores East
Get the chimney swept before the next fire, with drop cloths down and the soot bagged and carried out.
- Licensed & insured
- Locally run
- Family owned and operated
- Same-day service available
Inside the estimate for your Dover Shores East sweep
- Room covered and fireplace opening sealed
- Cleanout door emptied and cover closed
- Refractory panels cleaned without scraping
- Brush chosen for clay tile or stainless liner
How a chimney gets cleaned properly
Taking off and resetting a metal chimney cap
On a factory-built chimney, the cap often has to come off before the flue can be brushed from the top. How it comes off depends on the system. One maker's instructions, for example, have the spark arrestor released by loosening its bolts and twisting it free, then reinstalled with every bolt fully engaged in its slot.
The steps are the ones written for the chimney on your roof. Our technicians keep the parts together, clean the screen while it is off and reset the cap so it sits square and locks the way the maker intended. Nothing is swapped for a part from another system, because the chimney was listed with its own parts.
If the cap is bent, rusted through or missing fasteners, our crew in Dover Shores East tells you before putting it back and quotes the correct replacement separately.
A stove or insert venting into an old fireplace flue
When a stove or insert is set into a masonry fireplace, it often ends up venting into a flue that was built for an open fire. The Florida Building Code says a masonry chimney lining must suit the type of appliance connected to it, following the appliance listing and the maker's instructions.
EPA guidance adds that the longer smoke stays in the flue, and the cooler the chimney runs, the more creosote forms. If a flue in that setup collects deposits faster than the fires would explain, the lining is worth a closer look.
Sweeping clears what is there. When our technicians find this setup, they check what the insert or stove manual calls for and write up a matching liner as a separate option under our liner service. The sweep and the liner are two decisions for homeowners in Dover Shores East, and the estimate keeps them apart.
The first fire after your chimney is swept
After a sweep, the first fire is a good test of how the chimney draws. Build a small fire with dry, split, seasoned wood, open the damper fully before lighting and watch how the smoke rises. Keep that first fire modest instead of loading the firebox.
A clean flue with a working damper should draw steadily once the fire is going. Smoke that keeps rolling out of the opening after startup means something is still wrong, and the fireplace should wait until the cause is found.
Before they leave, our technicians in Dover Shores East tell you if anything from the sweep affects that first fire, such as a damper that needs a firm pull or a glazed treatment that is still drying. That note goes into the written record, along with where the damper handle sits when it is fully open.
A sturdy screen and a clear three-foot zone
NFPA heating safety advice is simple and specific. Keep anything that can burn at least three feet from the fireplace, and keep a three-foot kid-free zone around an open fire. Use a sturdy screen to stop sparks from flying out of the opening. The advice holds for a small fire as much as a large one.
That zone includes the things that tend to drift toward the hearth, such as rugs, stacked firewood, seasonal decorations, pet beds and toys. A screen needs to cover the whole opening and stand steady without tipping.
When our crew finishes a sweep, they check that the screen or doors are back in place and in good shape. A bent or torn screen, or one that no longer covers the full opening, is noted on the written record so you can replace it before the next fire.
Other work in Dover Shores East
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- Stone Chimney RepairKeep stone repairs suited to the existing masonry.
- Ventless Gas Fireplace ServiceService the unit within its exact installation limits.
Learn more about chimney sweep and chimney cleaningDover Shores East services
Related chimney sweep work
What homeowners ask before a sweep
Can you sweep a chimney that has birds or animals in it?
Not while they are inside. Chimney swifts are federally protected, so the sweep waits until they leave, and bats or other animals are handled by our animal removal service before any cleaning. Once the flue is clear, we sweep it and quote a cap to keep them out.
Will a sweep fix a fireplace that smokes?
It fixes the part caused by deposits in the flue. A damper that does not open fully, a clogged cap screen or wet wood can also cause smoke, so we check those too and note the results on the written record.
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- Family owned and operated
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