Chimney sweep in Lake Nona with written pricing first

A blocked chimney full of leaves or debris

A blocked flue cannot carry smoke out. Leaves blown into an uncapped flue, twigs from a nest, fallen tile or a thick collar of creosote can each close off part of the passage. The first sign is often smoke at the opening when a fire is lit, or debris dropping into the firebox.

Do not light a test fire to see if it clears. Our crew finds the blockage from the top or bottom, removes it with rods and hand tools and brushes the whole flue afterward, since whatever caused the blockage usually left deposits along the way.

If the blockage turns out to be an active nest or an animal, the sweep waits for the right removal, and wildlife work is quoted on its own. For a blocked chimney in Lake Nona, the written estimate names what was found and what would keep it out next time, which is often a cap.

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 Lake Nona get the same free inspection and written estimate as anyone else.

Chimney swifts mean the sweep waits

Chimney swifts are small birds that roost and raise young inside chimneys. The federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act protects them, so active nests, eggs and chicks are left undisturbed. If you hear birds in the flue, say so when you call.

If swifts are nesting, the sweep waits. Our technicians confirm what is in the flue, leave the nest alone and plan the cleaning for after the birds have gone. Keeping the damper closed in the meantime keeps noise and debris out of the room.

Once the flue is empty, it gets swept, the nest material comes out and a cap goes on so the birds nest somewhere else next time. The cap is quoted as its own item, and any wildlife work in Lake Nona runs through our animal removal service.

Damage found mid-sweep gets its own estimate line

A sweep exposes surfaces that were hidden under soot, so it is a natural time to find damage. Here is what can show up once the brushes finish.

None of these is fixed as part of the sweep, and none is added to the bill without your say. Our technicians stop, show you what they found and explain what it means for using the fireplace. If a finding means the fireplace should wait until it is repaired, they say that plainly too.

Each finding becomes its own line on the written estimate, with the repair described in plain words. You can approve the sweep in Lake Nona now and decide on repairs separately or later.

• Cracked or shifted flue tile
• Loose or missing mortar in the lining
• A damper plate rusted thin or warped
• A cap screen torn or rusted through