Your local chimney sweep in North Quarter

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 North Quarter 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.

Chimney odor removal starts at the source

A smoky, tar-like smell from a fireplace that has not been lit in days usually traces back to deposits in the flue, the smoke chamber and the smoke shelf. Air moving down an idle chimney carries that smell into the room.

Chimney odor removal starts with taking the source out. Brushing the flue, clearing the smoke shelf and emptying old ash removes the material that carries the smell. Air fresheners and sprays only cover it for a while. A damper that closes fully between fires also keeps the smell from drifting down into the room.

If the smell is musty or animal-like instead of smoky, the cause is different, and our crew says so. A dead animal, a nest or water getting into the flue needs its own fix, and cleaning alone will not end that smell in your North Quarter home.

What should never go into the firebox

A fireplace is not a trash burner. EPA guidance lists materials that can release toxic or harmful chemicals when burned and may damage the appliance they burn in.

If any of these have gone into your fireplace, tell our technicians, since it helps them to know what is being cleaned out of the flue. EPA's list also calls out the colored ink on magazines, boxes and wrappers, so glossy paper stays out of the fire too.

The sweep clears what those fires left behind in your North Quarter home, and the written record notes anything unusual in the deposits so the next cleaning has a point of comparison.

• Household trash, cardboard, plastics and foam
• Coated, painted or pressure-treated wood
• Ocean driftwood, plywood, particle board or glued wood
• Wet, rotted, diseased or moldy wood

Chimney sweep and inspection in one visit

Many homeowners ask for a chimney sweep and inspection together, and that is how our visits usually run. Our technicians do the free inspection first to see what is in the flue and what shape the system is in, then sweep if cleaning is needed.

The two parts answer different questions. The sweep removes deposits. The inspection looks at the condition of the chimney and fireplace, including parts a sweep never touches, such as the crown, the flashing and the outside masonry. When you need a formal chimney evaluation, for a sale or after damage, that is a separate chimney inspection service.

In North Quarter, the result is one appointment, one written estimate with the sweep and any repairs on separate lines, and a record of what was cleaned and what was seen.