How often should my chimney be cleaned?
How much is a cleaning?
How do you clean a chimney?
Why does my furnace
chimney need cleaning?
Do we install caps? How much?
Do you do repairs?
What is a liner?
Why does my fireplace have an odor?
Why should we choose you as our
chimney professional?
Why does
my furnace chimney need cleaning?
The National Fire Protection Assoc. 211 codes state that "chimneys
must be inspected and cleaned as necessary annually" - just
like the oil service man services the furnace annually, so should
the chimney system be serviced annually.
Furnace or boiler flue chimneys are generally used year round for heat or hot water and the chimney flue is constantly venting the byproducts of combustion these units put forth.
The majority of our "emergency jobs" come from unmaintained chimney flues that have become blocked or deteriorated , causing the furnace not to draft properly. Most often , if the furnace is kicking back soot , or shutting itself down , the first call is to their heating guy , whom will shut the heat off and tell you to call a chimney company.
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How often should my chimney
be cleaned?
The National Fire Protection Agency recommends a yearly inspection
and cleanings and repairs done as necessary. Homeowners with Oil
fired furnaces and/or Woodstoves used to heat the home should have
a professional at their home every year. Fireplaces need to be maintained
and cleaned on a consistent basis as well. Usually a cleaning is
needed every cord of wood burned. Back
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How much is a cleaning?
Woodstoves cleanings are $169 + Cost of removal and reinstallation
if necessary
Oil and Fireplace chimneys are $149
We charge only $89 for additional chimney flues done on spot.
For example (Oil furnace chimney and Fireplace chimney $238 Back
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How do you clean a chimney?
We brush and scrape the interiror chimney liner down with wire brushes. This removes
the soot and/or creosote off the chimney walls. We then vacuum
out the debris we loosened from the appliance. We guarantee no mess to the home
and sweeps are guaranteed for 30 days. Back to top.
Do we install caps? How
much?
We install Stainless Steel Caps which are lifetime guaranteed.
This is a one time installation. A cap will keep out animals , leaves
, twigs , and most of all rain. Rain does most of the damage to
chimneys by getting into cracks , freezing during the winter , and
pushing at the masonry causing serious damage. A single flue cap
chimney cap is generally Installed at about $125 to $150
Custom caps
that cover more than one flue start at $289 Installed. Back
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Do you do repairs?
We do everything and anything to do with chimney repairs. Our specialty
is Masonry repair and Relining. If you have a problem with the chimney,
we have the solutions. We are fully staffed with two masons and
two installers year round. Back to top.
What is a liner?
Currently, chimneys are built with terra-cotta clay tiles inside
the brick structure. These tiles serve as a gas tight and heat resistant
insulator against the masonry structure. Without a liner or with
cracked and damaged liners, there would be heat transfer or actual
seepage through the brick and mortar. Surrounding the chimney is
the structure of the home which is usually wood. A liner is a stainless
steel tube inserted into a chimney to draft an appliance , furnace
, woodstove or fireplace. The appliance will vent through that stainless
pipe and use the existing chimney as an encasement. Liners are gas
tight systems and insulated for highest efficiency. This solves
most drafting and safety issues due to damaged or unlined chimneys. Back
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Why does my fireplace smell
There can be a number of reasons , most of which can be addressed
on site by a chimney sweep and inspection. There are many situations
that can cause the fireplace odor. Improper burning technique, unseasoned
wood, moisture and humidity , negative pressure creating downdrafts
all can contribute to the smell of a fire without the fire. Step 1
typically is to have the chimney cleaned and inspected. Step 2 can
be a rain capto keep out rain or even better
a top mounted damper that seals out rain
and humidity. This would also prevent a down draft carrying the odors
of the chimney into the home. Unfortunately there are cases when these
solutions don`t always work and are much more difficult to assess
by a simple inspection. Negative air pressure in the home (especially
newer tight homes) can reverse the flow of draft from the chimney
back into the home. Some cases of odor problems are due to exhaust
fans, additional chimneys, central air systems, central vaccum, combustion
appliance flues, range hoods and clothes dryers, etc pulling air from
the best make up air source possible , your chimney. See smoking
problems for some of those solutions.
Why should we choose you
as our chimney professional?
Because that is exactly what we are , Professionals. Chimney sweeping
is a very straightforward and simple maintenance process but there
are other aspects of chimney venting that are much more technical
and training is needed to provide accurate safety reports for a
home. We have on staff two master masons, two certified liner installers
, a duct cleaning technician and three licensed Service technicians
for all other aspects of chimney maintenance. Our office is open
from 8AM to 8PM to answer your questions or satisfy your needs.
Kevin , Kyle or Dale are in the office at all times during these
hours and are fully trained and knowledgeable in all aspects of
chimney and duct maintenance. We do not have an answering service
that just takes messages. We believe in IMMEDIATE RESPONSE as stated
in all of our Yellow Page ads. We are members of the The National
Chimney Sweep Guild. You will see us at all the Home shows in Connecticut
and welcome you to stop by our booth for a visit. Back
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These are just a few of the answers to your questions.
Feel free to call with a question not covered by our web site.
We pride ourselves in Customer Service and are standing by from
8AM - 8PM to answer your questions or to schedule an appointment.
860-296-2353 or 1-800-603-5255
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