If the creosote (a chemical that builds up on the inside of the chimney wall due to burning wood or paper) has gotten too thick on the chimney walls, your chimney could be blocked entirely. If your chimney has cracked, mortar is crumbling out of the brickwork, or smoke is leaking into other areas of the house, avoid burning more fires and call a chimney sweep immediately to check for structural problems in the flue, brickwork, or liner. Call the fire department first if there’s a fire, but then you’ll need to consult a chimney sweep afterward for repair and rebuilding. Smoke is flooding your house, or there is visible fire in the chimney.If neither of these is the culprit, it’s time to call in help. The smoke will stay low in the chimney and ooze back inside if it’s too warm outside. The colder it is outside, the greater the difference between the firebox temperature and the outside temperature, creating a good draft as the warm air tries to run up the chimney. If the damper is open and it’s still smoky, check the outdoor temperature. If the damper is closed, there’s less oxygen to burn, and the smoke that does develop has nowhere to go, so it’s forced back into the house. For a fire to burn, the damper needs to be open so the smoke can draft upward as the fire is fed by oxygen. The damper is the door that closes off the chimney when there’s no fire and keeps your heated indoor air from escaping up the chimney. Problems involving fire and smoke are almost always emergencies, so if the smoke is out of control in your home, there are a few things to check quickly. Ideally, you’ll have the chimney regularly swept-at least once per year if you regularly burn fires-and won’t need to call in the event of an emergency. How do you know it’s time to hire a chimney sweep? Sometimes you have no option: smoke is pouring into your living room, you actually experience a chimney fire, or you notice significant water in the firebox. This inspection will add $1,000 to $5,000 to the cost of your cleaning. A Level 3 inspection is done only when structural damage is already apparent and requires that some of the chimney’s brickwork be dismantled for repair and replacement. This will add between $100 and $500 to the cost of your cleaning but may save you from paying for additional damage done during the cleaning. If your chimney sweep suspects structural damage may occur during the cleaning, they may recommend a Level 2 inspection before cleaning. If it’s been a while since your last cleaning, it’s worth asking for a Level 2 inspection, which involves sending a camera down the flue to check for structural damage.
A chimney and fireplace inspection is intended for fireplaces that are well maintained and used regularly. Level 1 inspections are usually included in the cost of the sweep and include a visual check of the interior (using a flashlight) and the exterior.
#Chimney sweep near me professional#
However, professional chimney sweeps will also inspect your chimney before and after cleaning, looking for structural defects. This includes either a single professional using an appropriately sized wire brush to scrub the chimney’s walls from the inside or a team working from both inside and on the rooftop (which makes less of a mess inside). The national average price is between $129 and $378. Chimney sweeps charge for various services, and how much a cleaning costs will vary based on several factors.
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