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Frequently
Asked Questions |
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Why do I need to have my
chimney inspected and swept? |
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primary reason for having your fireplace inspected is to see if there is
at least ¼" of creosote buildup in the chimney. This would
warrant having the chimney swept in order to avoid the risk of a chimney fire. The inspection will
also allow for spotting possible fire hazards and if repairs are needed
to either the fireplace or the chimney structure. |
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How often
should I have my chimney inspected and/or swept? |
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According to the National Fire Protection Association, "Chimneys,
fireplaces and vents shall be inspected* at least once a year.
Cleaning maintenance, and repairs shall be done if necessary."
Our recommendation is to
definitely have the chimney inspected and/or swept after either burning
one cord of wood or roughly 50-60 of the manufactured logs. However,
every chimney manages the venting of the fire's smoke and gases
differently so it may take less use to build up that creosote to a
dangerous level. Because we live in a mild Southern California
climate, it seems like an average is about a half cord of wood per year,
so many times I'll recommend an inspection every two years.
There are times when the
chimney and venting systems should be inspected and/or swept right away,
such as:
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After any unusual, or sudden occurrence event, such as a chimney
fire, lightning strike, or earthquake. |
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Prior to purchasing a home with an existing chimney or vent. |
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Whenever changes are made to a chimney or vent system, including
replacement of connected appliances or going from woodburning to gas
logs (or vice versa). |
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Prior to major system repairs |
* It is not possible to observe
most clearances unless one has witnessed all construction of the chimney
and surrounding structure.
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What is creosote? |
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Chimney creosote is a natural byproduct of burning materials such as wood,
wood byproducts, or manufactured logs in your fireplace. Its
appearance is generally a brown or black fluffy substance that adheres
to the chimney walls, damper and flue, but it can over time turn into a
hard resin-like glaze that is more difficult to brush out. This
material is flammable, and becomes more dangerous as it grows thicker
with every fire.
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Does it make a mess when you sweep my
chimney? |
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take extra care to make sure that there will be NO MESS. Our
vacuums have micron filters and were specifically designed for chimney
sweeping. They are loud but do an excellent job of containment.
The area that my equipment and tools are on is covered first with tarps
and runners. With a masonry chimney, the front of the fireplace is
also sealed as an extra precaution when I go up to the top of the
chimney to brush down the creosote. A prefab chimney is swept from
below, so we can maintain control over how much creosote dust is coming
back down into the fireplace where the vacuum will suck up the airborne
particles. We are not
in any hurry to get the job done. Making sure that your house
stays dust free is our priority!
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How long will it take? |
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the chimney and fireplace only require an evaluation, we are generally
done in roughly 20-30 minutes. If the chimney does need to be
swept, the process will usually take between one to one and a half
hours. Access to the chimney, and how long of a distance there is
between where I park my van to where I am setting up my equipment at the
fireplace will factor into how long the sweeping will take. |
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What do I need to do before the
chimney sweep arrives? |
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Please remove all items from the front and sides of the fireplace.
The first thing that I will need to do is to look up inside the
fireplace and chimney flue to determine the level of creosote buildup.
Then if possible, clear an area in front of the fireplace of
approximately 8 x 8 feet so that I have adequate room to lay down my
tarp and runners to protect your floor and furniture. Keep in
mind, I will also need to create a pathway of runners across your
carpeting to your fireplace for my big vacuum on wheels to be rolled in
and out of the house.
I love animals, but if your dog is
excitable or in any way unfriendly to a stranger, please have them
secured elsewhere. It would probably be better anyway to have them
out of the room since my loud vacuum could cause the dog undue stress.
Let me know if you have cats so that I know to be careful about leaving
doors open.
I love children too. But
its important that they are not in my way when I'm trying to perform my
job--please don't just leave them in my care. When I am sweeping,
my vacuums are running the entire time. They are very loud and
children are absolutely NOT ALLOWED to be in the room with me--let's not
cause any unnecessary damage to those precious little ears!
One last note. I will not
enter the house if there are only children present that are under the
ages of 16 years old. We have taken care of chimneys on military
bases and this is the age that the military uses for
allowing service people into a house, and that's good enough for me.
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What repairs do you do? |
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repairs that we primarily do are masonry firebox patching, repairing a
stuck damper or if not repairable we can install a top sealing damper in
a masonry woodburning fireplace, installing chimney caps,
replacing fire screens, and resurfacing chimney crowns. We also
install fireplace stove inserts in masonry fireplaces.
If the job exceeds our capabilities,
we are then able to refer excellent qualified repair people from within
our industry.
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Are you Certified? Have a CA State
Contractor's License? Bonded? Insured? |
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carry certifications in the following areas: Chimney (CSIA Certified
Chimney Sweep #3159), Dryer (C-Det Certified Dryer Exhaust Technician
#157), Gas (NFI Certified Gas Specialist #141291), and Terri also
carries certification for Chimney (CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep #4372).
My California State Contractor's License number is: 749202, and I am
Bonded as a contractor. We carry $2 million dollar liability
insurance on our business, and of course also carry insurance on the
work van as well. |
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Do you wear a top hat? |
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not wear a top hat, and I don't sing and dance. I come to your
house dressed as a service professional (in black, of course!), not as
an entertainer. I once did a street fair in top hat and tails, and
when I was out walking around, the kids were skipping behind me asking
when the magic show was going to begin. That did it! |
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Final Words |
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are of course many other things associated with what we do that could be
included here. We do cover many other descriptions on the various
webpages on this site, so please feel free to check out the other pages
as much as you want.
It also is likely that over time we will add to
this list, but if you do have other questions about something pertaining
to the chimney or dryer vent services and don't find your answer on our
website, please don't hesitate to give us a call at either 858-573-1672
or 619-466-1672, or email us at:
office@swedesweep.com
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