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_____________ Consumer Information: ---------------------------- Public and Professional Instructional Classes -----------------------
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Our staff will clean and inspect your chimney the right way. We only allow CSIA Certified Chimney Sweeps to clean and inspect chimneys. We attend national and regional seminars at least twice per year to keep up with the latest in the chimney industry. Each of our sweeps is trained for at least one year prior to going out on his/her own. You can be assured of getting the best possible service with Padgitt Chimney & Fireplace!
To check our Certification, please visit the Chimney
Safety Institute of America at www.csia.org. The Process: We set up tarps to protect your floor and hearth, and use a high-powered vacuum to control dust. The chimney sweep will close the damper, then clean the chimney from the top and bottom with the properly sized brush to remove creosote. If your chimney is more than 35 feet tall, we may clean from the bottom only. The sweep will brush the smoke chamber (the area above the damper and before the flue starts) with a special chamber brush and a scraper, then remove all of the creosote from the smoke chamber. This is a critical step, and unfortunately, one that is missed by some companies. Since the fire is closer to the smoke chamber than the flue, this creosote could ignite and cause a chimney fire if not removed. He will also remove any dead animals found in the flue. If you don't have a cover - damaging birds, bats, and squirrels may make their home inside the chimney. Glazed or tar creosote is more difficult to remove than 1st or 2nd stage creosote, and must be done by power cleaning. This is a different process, and we may have to reschedule in order to do it. We will then visually inspect your chimney inside and out, and if we can't see inside the entire flue, we will use our Chim-Scan camera which allows us to view around turns in the flue and all of the flue. Without a camera, a chimney sweep can't see long flues or around offsets. You may watch the t.v. monitor during this process. If any problems are found, we will provide a written estimate in the mail for repairs. You will receive a written report of our findings at the time of the inspection. What we look for during inspection: The chimney sweep will look for missing mortar joints between the tile liner sections, unparged or open corbels in the smoke chamber; cracked, blown out, or missing tile liners; puffed or burnt ash creosote that is a sign of a chimney fire; cracked or deteriorated cement crown; fatiged or rusted chimney cover; missing mortar in the fireplace; correct height of the chimney; and note any smoking or performance problems as well as several other items. Please let us know if you have any draft problems so we can diagnose it at the time of the appointment. Note: Chimney fires often occur without the homeowner's knowledge, and you may have hidden cracks or breaks inside the flue as a result. The chimney must be relined if damages such as this are found. WHEN should my chimney be cleaned? Spring or Summer is the best time to clean - AFTER the woodburning season to remove smelly creosote. Creosote also eats away at mortar during the summer months, so give us a call after the woodburning season is over. After 1/4" or more of creosote has accumulated on the flue walls is when the flue and smoke chamber need to be swept. Prices
Note: if the chimney is difficult to access (over 36 feet or center of house with steep roof, etc.) and we need to build scaffolding, extra charges will apply for additional work. Average cost for scaffold is $350, but could be more if you have a 2 or 3 story home or the chimney is in the center of the house. Please notify us if you think this will be necessary so we can make arrangements for scaffold.
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EMP Enterprises, Inc. |
3 NFI Certified Woodburning Specialists
(requires
retesting every 3 years or 40+ hours instruction)