Family-owned chimney sweep serving The Willows

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 The Willows, the written estimate names what was found and what would keep it out next time, which is often a cap.

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 The Willows 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

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

Ladders and roof work handled by our crew

Top-down cleaning and checks at the chimney top mean roof work. Our crew in The Willows brings its own ladders and fall protection, sets the ladder on firm, level ground and ties it off before climbing. You never need to go up or hold a ladder for us.

Roof access depends on conditions on the day. A wet or slick surface, high wind or a very steep pitch can make the roof unsafe, and then the sweep is done from inside where possible and the roof part is rescheduled at a time that suits you.

Our technicians watch their footing on every roof, and gutters and plants below the ladder are protected too. Anything they notice near the chimney, such as a cracked tile or lifted flashing, goes on the record for you to decide about.