Remove Flammable Deposits & Protect Your Chimney Against Deterioration With Professional Chimney Sweepings

Chimneys are essentially big exhaust pipes for your fireplace, wood stove, pellet stove, oil burner, or gas heater. Why are these big exhaust pipes needed? No matter which type of fuel you burn, corrosive byproducts are produced and need to be removed from the home. The chimney system allows you to enjoy a fire in your fireplace or stove without worrying about those byproducts entering your home or air supply.

What’s Removed During A Chimney Sweeping?

Wood burning produces smoke, soot, creosote (tar fog), ash, cinders, and water vapor — all of which travel up the flue. Unfortunately, these byproducts can condense and build up inside. This buildup contains combustible deposits (creosote), which can feed a chimney fire and cause damage to the chimney — and possibly — the structure of the home.

Gas burning, on the other hand, produces corrosive moisture and sulfuric acid, which can eat away at the chimney liner and other components in the system.

A chimney sweeping will remove this buildup from the flue to prevent poor performance, deterioration, and chimney fires. Chimney sweeping also removes anything that may conceal or otherwise block visual inspection of the venting system. Cracks in flue liners and deteriorated mortar joints are easily hidden by soot, ash, creosote, and other byproducts of combustion, but I’ll clear all that away and remove it from the home.

Chimney Sweeping

The 6-Step Chimney Sweeping Process

There is a straightforward 6-step sweeping process taught by the CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep Program Reference Manual. This is the sweeping process I follow when in your home:

  1. Preliminary Examination — I look for anything out of the ordinary and ask you, the owner, about the venting system.
  2. Inside Preparation — I prepare the inside of the home and the area around the chimney to prevent making a mess. Customer satisfaction is very important to me and I know you want to be left with a clean home when I am finished, so I never skip this step.
  3. Flue Sweeping & Inspection — I use my specialized tools and brushes to sweep the flue clean and my Chim-Scan® video scanning equipment to make sure I didn’t miss any soot, ash, or creosote.
  4. Inside Sweeping — I sweep the fireplace, smoke chamber, stove, insert, connector, etc. to make sure that every accessible portion of the chimney and fireplace is clean and ready for the next burn season.
  5. Level 1 Inspection — I perform a final examination, document everything, and clean up the area. My team uses powerful HEPA vacuums to capture every last bit of soot, creosote, and dust loosened during the sweeping process, so you don’t have to worry about any of it entering your home.
  6. Customer Review — I go over the inspection report with you, the owner, and let you know about any safety issues, structural defects, or recommendations. I’ll also provide estimates for any repairs I recommend.

When Should You Have Your Chimney Cleaned?

Unlike inspections, there isn’t an annual requirement for cleanings and repairs. They’re needed when they’re needed. The best way to know when it’s time for a sweeping is to make sure you’re following the NFPA guidelines and scheduling your annual chimney inspection, year after year.

NFPA 211 Standard 13.2. Chimneys, fireplaces, and vents shall be inspected at least once a year in accordance with the requirements of Section 14.3.

If upon inspection, the chimney is found to be dirty or damaged, I can sweep it and/or repair it.

NFPA 211 Standard 13.2.2. Cleaning, maintenance, and repairs shall be done if necessary.

Don’t Neglect Your Chimney — Scheduling A Sweeping Is Easy With Armour Chimney Service

It has been my experience that solid fuel-burning appliances and the chimneys that serve them are some of the most neglected areas of the home. The majority of chimney problems I run into are preventable with routine sweeping and maintenance, but unfortunately, most people wait until there’s a problem (like smoke backing up into the home or a chimney fire) to call a chimney sweep.

Waiting can end up costing you hundreds — even thousands — in repairs and can put you and your family’s safety at risk. Why do that when scheduling a chimney sweeping with Armour Chimney Service is so easy?

Call 208-550-8474 today and schedule your chimney inspection and sweeping. Whether you need a sweeping for your single family home, your condo, your apartment complex, your commercial property, your restaurant, or another property, you can count on me. I’ll be on time, professional, clean, courteous, and respectful — guaranteed.

 

Call today to schedule your regular chimney inspection, one of the truly important chimney and venting services I offer.

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