Company Blog

How to Prepare for Your Chimney Appointment

We’re so glad you’ve chosen us to care for your chimney and fireplace needs! We appreciate you and thank you for your business.

We’re often asked by our customers what they need to do to prepare for our visit. Thanks for asking – here’s what makes our job easier

• MAKE SURE THE FIRE IS OUT. You’d be surprised how often we go to homes with a fire burning in the fireplace or wood stove. If there’s a fire burning, we cannot sweep or work on the chimney. If your home has a wood stove or insert connected to the fireplace, please make sure the fire is out for at least 24 hours before our appointment. We can’t move the stove out to sweep the chimney when it’s too hot to touch. If you have gas logs or a gas insert, make sure the fire is turned off for 2-3 hours before our arrival.
• CLEAN OUT THE FIREPLACE OR WOOD STOVE. It speeds up our process greatly if you can remove the ashes and old wood removed before our arrival.  However, if you want US to clean out the ashes for you, please make sure we know that’s what you want. Some folks actually want us to leave a layer of ash in the fireplace to bed their coals.
• SECURE YOUR PETS. If your dog needs to be in your fenced yard, yet we need to go through this gate to get to your chimney, please put up your pup. It’s difficult for us to carry a ladder through the gate while making sure your dog doesn’t escape. Ditto on the potential escapes through your home’s doors. It’s really best for both us and your pets if you can isolate them in another room while we’re working at your home. It can be so upsetting to pets to have a stranger coming in and out of their home and they’re often terrified of our big vac and the loud noises it makes.
• MAKE ROOM IN YOUR DRIVEWAY. We have lots of equipment to carry in and set up, so the closer we can park to your entry door, the better. We’ll also be carrying a heavy ladder, so if we can park nearer to the chimney that’s helpful!
• WHICH DOOR? Please let us know which door you prefer us to use. The one that provides the quickest route to your fireplace is our preference, but let us know if you’d rather us use a different entry.
• CLEAR A PATH. We’ll be bringing in some or all of the following: industrial vacuum cleaner, tool boxes, drop cloths, chimney brushes and more. Based on the door we’ll be using and the route we’ll take to your fireplace, it’s very helpful if you’re able to clear a pathway for us, moving furniture and knick-knacks away from our line of traffic and our work area in front of your fireplace. We’re very mindful of your treasures and take the utmost care in your home, but it helps us tremendously if we don’t need to move them away from our work area and the pathway to your fireplace.
• CLEAR THE MANTEL AND HEARTH. Again, it helps us so much if you can clear the accessories away from the fireplace including your fireplace screen, wood bin, wreaths, candles and the like. We’ll be spreading a tarp on your hearth and setting some tools there while we’re working.
• WRITE DOWN YOUR QUESTIONS. If you’d like expert tips on how to store your firewood, how to fine-tune the settings on your wood stove, change the batteries on your gas logs, etc. then you may find it’s helpful to make a list for us to review with you while we’re there.

We here at Blue Sky Chimney Sweeps|Bless Your Hearth are committed to providing the “best bang for your buck” spent.  You knowing what to expect and being prepared for our visit can help make that happen.  Call us today to schedule your chimney or gas log check-up. 

Knowing What to Ask When Choosing a Chimney Sweep

If you haven’t had your chimney cleaned and inspected recently, don’t worry – there is still time.  Today’s post is going to provide some basic information about common problems, levels of inspection and choosing the best sweep.  The chimney sweep you ultimately hire to partner with you to maintain your chimney, if chosen wisely, can usually answer any questions you may have.  Here’s a few that come to mind.

Why do you need a chimney sweep?

Even if you don’t use your chimney regularly, unexpected things can happen.  One way to look at this question is to consider what could happen if your chimney goes unattended.

• Creosote is released during the burning of the firewood, can collect on the interior of your chimney and may cause blockages. Creosote buildup can lead to draft problems and/or chimney fires.
• Draft problems, if associated with gas fuel, can contribute to dangerous carbon monoxide entering the home.
• Uncovered chimneys can provide attractive shelter for nesting animals.
• If excessive water absorption is an issue, leaving it unaddressed can result in a shortening of the life of the chimney structure.

Levels of Inspection

There are different levels of inspection, and they have different purposes.  When interviewing a prospective chimney sweep company, ask to make sure their technicians now how to perform these inspections as they are defined by the National Fire Protection Association.

• A level one inspection is the most basic inspection.  This inspection is most often called for with annual maintenance.
• A level two inspection is what you will have done if the technician sees issues while doing a level 1 that indicate a video scan should be performed.  It will also be recommended if there have been any changes in the way your chimney is being used (change of fuel or appliance), if the chimney is new to you, or if the house is being bought or sold.
• The third level is what will need to be done if diagnostic measures require any part of the chimney to be deconstructed.

Questions to Ask when Choosing.

How do you make sure you are getting trained professional who will do the job right.  Here are some things you might ask.

• How long has the company been in business?
• What kind of training do employees get?
• Does the company have any testimonials or reviews?
• What have neighbors or co-workers heard about the company?
• If there are any negative comments or reviews on the internet, how were these handled publicly?
• Ask if the company has any business liability insurance.
• Are they a CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep?  The Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) is the only nationally recognized certification organization for chimney sweeps.

Getting Ready

There is really nothing you have to worry about that is chimney specific when preparing for a visit from a qualified professional chimney sweep except

• Do not burn a fire for at least 24 hours before the sweep appointment.  This will assure that it the fireplace is cool enough to work in.
• Remove valuable breakable objects from the mantle and hearth areas.
• Restrain pets so they cannot interfere or get hurt during the process.

An informed customer is a customer better able to make decisions about his or her home. Here at Blue Sky Chimney Sweeps|Bless Your Hearth, we want you to feel confident about your sweep, the services you desire and knowing the job was done well. Call us today to schedule your annual inspection.  To schedule your appointment call Blue Sky Chimney Sweeps|Bless Your Hearth today to speak with our friendly folks in customer service!