Chimney sweep in Haralson Estates with written pricing first

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

The right brush for clay tile or stainless steel

Clay flue tile and stainless steel liners call for different brushes. Steel bristles are a common choice against deposits on clay tile. On stainless steel, one maker's instructions for its metal chimneys allow plastic, wood or steel brushes but warn against any brush that will scratch the stainless liner.

The point is to clean the liner without damaging the surface the maker built. Our technicians confirm the lining before picking a brush. A look from the top or up past the damper usually shows whether it is clay tile or metal, and a factory-built fireplace carries the label of its listing.

If you have a stainless liner in your Haralson Estates home and still have the paperwork from its installation, set it out for the visit. The liner maker's cleaning directions come first, and we follow them.

Sweeping a metal chimney inside a framed chase

Many factory-built fireplaces vent through a metal chimney enclosed in a framed chase, often built against an outside wall, with only the cap showing above a metal chase top.

One maker's instructions, DuraVent's for its DuraChimney II, show how that top goes together. The chase top flashing leaves a ventilation opening around the pipe and sits on spacers above the chase framing, a storm collar is sealed to the pipe above it, and the chimney cap sits above both. Parts come from the listed system, not from another maker.

When our crew sweeps a chase chimney in Haralson Estates, they clean the flue from the top, look at the chase top and storm collar while they are up there and note any gap that could let water into the chase. Chase repairs are quoted apart from the cleaning.

Tile, shingle and metal roofs under a sweep

Each roof type asks for its own care on the way to the chimney. Tile, shingle and metal roofing differ in how they take a person's weight and how slick they get, so our technicians look the roof over before anyone steps onto it and choose their route with that in mind.

Low-slope sections beside a chimney can hold leaves and debris, which get cleared while the crew is up there. Soot knocked onto the roofing during a top-down sweep is brushed off before anyone climbs down.

Before the ladder comes down, our technicians look over the roofing around the chimney. A cracked tile, a lifted shingle or a loose flashing edge is pointed out to you and noted on the record, so you know its condition when the visit ends.