Family-owned chimney sweep serving Orwin Manor

Soot, flaky buildup and glazed coating compared

Not every deposit in a flue is the same material, and the difference decides the method. Light soot is dry and powdery. Flaky or crusty creosote is thicker but still breaks loose under a stiff brush. Glazed creosote is a hard, shiny coating stuck fast to the flue surface, and a brush mostly slides across it.

Before quoting, our crew identifies which type is in your flue. The standard sweep handles the first two. If part of the flue is glazed, that section is priced as glazed creosote removal on a line of its own, so you can see exactly what it adds and why.

• Powdery soot comes off with a standard sweep
• Crusty, flaky buildup comes off with extra brush passes
• A glazed coating needs its own removal treatment

What our 24/7 emergency line is for

Fire, smoke and carbon monoxide come first. If a fire is burning in the chimney, smoke is filling the room or a CO alarm is sounding, get everyone out of the house and call 911 before calling anyone else.

After that, the 24/7 emergency line is there for chimney problems that cannot wait for a regular appointment. An animal has dropped into the firebox, a cap is hanging off the chimney, the damper is stuck open with debris falling through it, or the fire department has told you not to use the fireplace until it is checked.

Our crew in Orwin Manor secures the problem first, whether that means removing debris, closing off the flue or covering an open top, and then gives you a written estimate for the permanent fix. The free inspection still comes before any repair.

The written record you keep after a sweep

Every sweep ends with a written record of what was cleaned. It notes the date, the fireplace or stove, which flue was swept, the kind of deposits found and the areas the brushes reached.

It also lists what was not done. Glazed sections left for a separate treatment, any part of the flue that could not be reached, and any repair item found during the visual check are written down with the reason. If a section was treated for glaze, the record notes that a follow-up sweep is still due.

Keep the record with your appliance manuals and past repair papers. It helps the next sweep, helps a buyer if you sell, and gives any later technician a starting point instead of a guess.

• Date and system cleaned
• Deposit type before cleaning
• Areas reached and areas not reached
• Findings left for a separate decision

Roofing debris that dropped into the flue

Roof work around a chimney can send debris down the flue. Shingle granules, nails, bits of underlayment, broken tile and mortar chips can fall past an open cap during tear-off or when flashing is replaced. Roof crews do not always cover the flue while they work.

That debris lands on the smoke shelf or the damper, where it can jam the damper or block part of the passage. Nails and metal bits are picked out by hand, since dragging them with a brush could scratch a liner.

If your roof was recently redone, a sweep before the next fire clears it out. Our crew in Orwin Manor also checks the cap and the flashing while on the roof and tells you if anything was disturbed by the roofing work, so you can raise it with the roofer while the job is fresh.