Your local chimney sweep in Paradise Heights

Protecting your room while the flue is brushed

Soot is fine and travels easily, so protecting the room comes before the first brush stroke. Our technicians lay drop cloths from the door to the hearth, cover the floor and furniture closest to the opening, and seal off the fireplace opening while the flue is brushed.

Loosened soot is caught behind that cover and then collected at the hearth, instead of drifting across the room. The seal stays up until the brushing above is finished and the dust has settled.

Tell us about rugs, light fabrics or delicate finishes near the fireplace when you set up the visit. We protect those first and move nothing heavy without asking.

• Drop cloths along the path to the fireplace
• Floor and hearth covered before any cleaning
• Fireplace opening sealed while brushes run
• Work area cleaned before the crew leaves

Pieces of flue tile in the debris

Most of what comes down a flue during a sweep is soot and creosote. When the debris also holds curved pieces of clay tile or chunks of mortar, the lining above has started to come apart.

The Florida Building Code describes clay flue lining laid in refractory mortar, with tight joints left smooth on the inside. A cracked or shifted tile, or a joint that has lost its mortar, breaks that smooth path, and no amount of brushing puts it back.

Any fragments found are set aside and shown to you, and the lining is looked at as far as it can be seen once it is clean. Flue repair or relining goes on the estimate for your Paradise Heights chimney as its own item, and the fireplace should stay unused until that decision is made.

Where the ashes go after a fire

Ashes can hold heat long after a fire looks out. NFPA safety advice has ashes cool down first, then go into a metal container set well away from the house. EPA guidance adds a covered metal container stored outdoors on a nonflammable surface.

Old ash left in the firebox for weeks also holds moisture and adds to the smell of an idle fireplace. During a sweep, our crew removes the old ash and debris for you. Between visits, emptying the firebox into the right container is the homeowner's part.

• A metal container with a tight lid
• Set outside on concrete or bare ground, not a wood deck
• No paper bags, plastic bins or cardboard boxes
• Kept away from the house, fences and the garage

Booking a sweep ahead of the fires you plan

The easiest time for a sweep is before you need the fireplace, not on the afternoon guests arrive. Booking ahead leaves room for anything the inspection turns up, such as a repair that should be finished before the first fire or a glazed section that needs a treatment and a return visit.

Planning ahead also avoids conflicts with nesting birds. If chimney swifts move in, federal protection means the flue waits until they leave, which can push a cleaning back.

Booking early in Paradise Heights usually gives you a wider choice of appointment times, and the free inspection and written estimate are the same whatever the date. A fireplace you do not need yet can also sit unused while a repair is scheduled, which is harder once you already want a fire.