As a chimney sweep myself your chimney looks amazing might want to consider getting some mortar mix for the cracks on the crown (top) as the older it gets the worse it will get and will eventually cause brick seepage you may also consider a whole crown cap rather than just a flu cape as this will help protect from water coming down the flu better and help prevent the brick seepage and cracking
When I was in 2nd grade my parents bought a beautiful 80 acre farm with a nice farm house in Indiana in 1972. We had a wood stove which we did all of our winter heating. We loved it. In 1975 we came home from Christmas shopping to see fire trucks fighting our engulfed flamed awesome home. We lost everything. It all happened over a built up chimney. I only write this so that you won’t suffer over what we did. Don’t be lazy, don’t put it off, I pray you have the strength and ability to take care of business.
Thank you for this tip, and first off I want to say my condolences for your losses. Here in San Antonio, TX a lot of us are still traumatized from last years winter storm. A lot of Northerners scoffed at us for freaking out over it. We had no paved roads, no stores were open, no electricity and no heat or water for almost a week. It was terrible lol. Thankfully the in-laws had a ranch with an old fireplace, it hasn’t ever been used since the last owners 10+ years ago. Pretty sure it was extremely unsafe when we used it, but thankfully we didn’t explode. Before it gets cold, I’m definitely cleaning or having that sucker cleaned out thoroughly, because it smelled like a damn campfire inside the house and there was smoke EVERYWHERE. I’m pretty sure that’s a tell tale sign that it needs a serious cleaning
Thanks for this validation to not cheat and take a potentially devastating chance. I almost lit a fire in our new house’s fireplace. Noticed a LOT of creosote in the fire box. Like A LOT! I know better! Yet, still thought “💭 Aw, maybe I could just burn it all out. Oh My!! Stupid thought. Arrogant thought. SCAREY thought. Perish the thought!! Before I perish the house, the neighbors house and who knows what irrevocable consequences might arise from the ashes!
Thank you for sharing your story. I'm a sweep and this is the real reason I'm in business. Not to get rich but to help save lives and property. No one should have to ever go through what your family went through. Part of our job as a sweep is to educate our customers by pointing out issues with their chimneys so those issues can be fixed. Education is power and that is the power we sweeps bring to our customers. By sharing your story you are helping with the education process and for that, I cannot thank you enough!! God bless.
I am a chimney professional, and do sweeps, installs, tuck pointing, and basically anything on your chimney, and I approve this message. Cleaning your chimney is quite easy. Just one thing, make sure to clean off the smoke shelf as well. There will be a massive amount of build up up there. Keep in mind that there are countless variables from cap types (top damper, with a long cable down the flue), flue types (clay tile, liner, etc) stove type (freestanding, insert, furnace, etc) and clean outs. All pretty much the same, but there may be different added requirements like removing the cable in the case of a top damper. These should be mostly self explainitory though. The main benefit of having someone like me clean it is because 1) we know more about what we are doing, as well as how to look for damaged flue tiles, and other safety issues. 2) Fire insurance!! There is a fire inspection form that when turned in to your insurance agency by a licensed professional will massively lower your insurance. Any home with a fireburning "anything" is automatically put into a different cost bracket. We can get that reduced to as little as 1/3. And 3) we keep track of everything from videos of your chimney and flue for our file and to reference in the case of an insurance claim, to helping you make your fire burn more safely, more efficiently, and with less creosote. Oh, and 4) it's supposed to be good luck to shake the hand of a chimney sweep. Not sure why, but people do it all the time, lol. So all in all, good info, and thank you for spreading the word. And to everyone who read this far, have an amazing day, and chim chim, charoo!!
I have a heatilator insert installed in 1991. Do they need cleaned yearly doesn't look like much build up when i open flue its a 8inch SS flex pipe from box to roof
@@nickyj3571 it depends. We usually suggest every year, but tbh, if it is handled well, we suggest every two years. I've seen it last 10-20 years, but those people are few and far between. I really don't suggest going longer than two years, as there is much more involved than just cleaning. We clean, video, inspect, and notice any dangers that you may have missed. We also save all that info in the event of a fire related incident, and the inspection form lasts two years most places. That form will take a huge chunk out of your fire insurance. So, in short, you can clean and inspect your own chimney, but it would be wise to have a professional at least inspect every two years. And I would advise asking your local chimney professionals this stuff too, as I don't know that model off the top of my head, but it sounds like you have everything set up well, just can't really answer that with absolute certainty without actually seeing it.
@@bubblegumshoestringracing1498 I'm not quite certain if this is meant as a question or not, as a phrasing confuses me, but I'll read it as such. I've never heard anything about it being good luck to tip them, but definitely to shake their hand.
Thanks for the info! Tip: Do not leave your vacuum in the house while vacuuming, use a long enough hose so that the vacuum is OUTSIDE. Ash is very fine and the filter on your vacuum won't catch it all, leaving your room with ash dust.This is especially true if your fireplace has a lot of ash. I use a piece of swimming pool vacuum hose. Thanks
Yes, yes, yes. That fine ash is hard to see sometimes and unless you have a professional chimney vacuum, forget it. I know, I was once a chimney sweep.
Fortunately my house has a central vacuum, which is mounted in the garage and vents to the outside. There are two inlets inside the house, and a 30 ft long hose that will reach anywhere in the house. It works great!! 😊
A few things I'll add being a chimney company owner. 1/4" or more creosote accumulation is considered hazardous, and even 1/8" thickness accumulation can be ignited (I've done it). "Level 3" creosote cant be removed with a brush. Good chimney companies inspect not just for structural integrity issues but also installation/build issues. And lastly, you MUST clean the smoke shelf after cleaning the flue on this kind of setup. The smokeshelf catches the vast majority of the swept creosote, without removing it, all you do is relocate the flammable creosote to an area thats closer to the firebox. Its amazing how many "reputable" companies forgoe cleaning the smokeshelf
I had two sweep out and first one cleaned chimney and smoke shelf second one ran a camera and said it looked good but mention a spray for the creosote smell both recommended a installer for a woodstove insert with a stainless steel lining but the installer said nothing about a spray is it need ? Thanks
Thank you! I just got quoted $1600 to clean the chimney, fix the crown and replace the cap. LOL! The minute he said $225 for the cap I knew he was out of his mind since I know those are about $60 at home depot. So I figured I'll just do it myself!
yes but they have to pay business taxes and insurance and liability and licensing and etc. etc. so find 3-4 quotes and then you can see if you're really being ripped off. if you can climb a 30 foot ladder to cap a chimney more power to you! ill climb a 70 foot silo before i'd climb an extension ladder.
@@danielroden9424 there’s no need for ladders at all. Actually. There’s window access to the first story roof, with easy climb up to the 2nd story roof, which gradually slopes up to the top of the chimney.
I had my chimney cleaned & crown repaired, but they put a lock top damper on instead of me using my old rusty iron damper. Maybe they were gonna put a damper on & not just a cap? I paid $1,400 for my job.
Thank you for the clear explanation of the how and why. Right before I bought my house the owner had the pellet stove going and smoke did not fill the house. However, when I tried after a few times smoke came into the home. I don’t even see a flue door handle any place to make sure its open. Thank you for any additional tips. Im going to replace the pellet stove for a wood burning stove that will connect to the pipe coming out from the chimney.
As others have noted, its hard to find a tutorial that actually explains how to take out the majority of the creosote that falls BEHIND the damper even if left open during cleaning. I'm planning on doing my own cleaning and will have to devise a u-shaped piping system to get behind the damper with a shop-vac. The one and only time I had it professionally cleaned, the gentleman was professional enough to vacuum the shelf in this manner. It was was a good idea to watch and learn as he explained the entire process to me.
This video has come at the perfect time, I have been watching other videos before and in this one it is much better explained and with more tips. Thank you very much from Spain :)
Perhaps I missed it, but you really need to vacuum all the creosote that collects on the smoke shelf. This can become a primary source of ignition once it builds above the lip of the shelf. You will need to remove the damper…easy to do. You will be amazed at what comes out of this area….5-15lbs of loose creosote.
I am a CSIA certified sweep operating in the southern US. I think your brush and rod set up was really good. You did a thorough job brushing, and good on you for sealing off the fireplace. I was also very pleased with your respirator. I am a little concerned about the soot that was left behind the damper catching on fire. You can check what is back there by holding your phone over the door and taking a picture. Shovel or vacuum out whatever you can from that smoke chamber.
Agreed. The previous owner of my house never installed a cap and the area behind the damper door was full of leaves and debris just wasting for a fire. Get up in there with a vacuum as not everything will fall out into the firebox.
My fire place does not have a smoke shelf or damper built around 1940. I have no problem using it I have a cover on the top with inches with a chain to pull it to open and close
Well done..as a retired pro sweep from Scotland..now overseas..this is the first vid I have seen where he is using the most effective modern sweeping equipment..and protection. I have seen vids that were made by amateur sweeps..teaching people on how to sweep their own chimneys...a disaster in waiting. This guy knows what he is doing. I was a member of NACS..National Association Of Chimney Sweeps..where I trained to upgrade my experience and invest in the new equipment. Never listen to amateurs who have no clue what they are talking about. When he mentioned soot as being carcinogenic..first time I have heard that mentioned on this type of vid..good one. I ask home owners..is it worth the risk of doing your own just to save a few dollars..pounds etc..also, if you do your own and you later have a fire..I doubt your insurance covers self inflicted.
Thanks very much for your kind words Jack. I don't pretend to have the knowledge of someone like yourself but a little knowledge and some personal protection can go a long way.
To add to my comment..even us pro sweeps, like all other tradesmen in other professions, make mistakes. It happens..nothing serious in my case, but it happens sometimes. That's life. I live in a village where some months ago..a house burned down..the lady had just purchased with her savings..those and the house have gone..let your viewers take warning from that. If they intend doing their own sweeping...learn how to first. As I said earlier on you vid..good one. Keep it up. You don't need to be a pro to do a good, safe job, just know how to do it properly..and safely. May I add..first inspect from the outside for cracked chimney pots..you would not like the pot falling apart as you sweep and landing on someone's head or car. You can do this simply by using binoculars..then check the job from the inside. Safety first. Don't guess, know. Even then you can get a surprise...be prepared as far as you can. Then pray to the saint of chimney sweeps for a faultless sweep..a joke.
@@MrFixItDIY Keep doing what you are doing and you will not go far wrong my friend. It's just good to see. I won't tell you the complimentary comments I made on other DIY, sweeping sites. I had only two complaints made against me to NACS...one was quashed as it was the property owners own fault..the other because I was later that I expected to the job..it happens too busy people..you can't always time a job to the hour..some jobs throw up unexpected problems..like an old birds nest..been building there for years..each year the nest got pushed down the chimney..much enlarging its depth and I have only turned down one job in a castle..that nest had been growing in depth for 0ver 80 years..that was the last time it had been swept..a stick of dynamite would not have shifted it. I have also condemned chimneys..5 in a house of 8 chimneys..they had caved high up inside and not safe to use. Only cure was too take out the outer wall..and rebuild..that was beyond my experience and skills set. In ending..keep on keeping on...I would have you do my chimney anytime..if I did not do it myself. In Bulgaria where I now live..have only one pro sweep..as for the rest..no comment. 😀
We had a Buck wood heater installed last year. First thing I did was purchase a quality device to sweep my chimney. Then I contacted a professional to come out and clean it right. He not only cleaned the chimney, but he also took my firebox apart, inspected all the bricks, cleaned over and under. He also got his saw out and enlarged the opening for the stove pipe. He felt better afterwards. And so did I. I can easily clean my chimney mid season with my rig, but I’m paying a professional to come in for a serious going over of my heater.
last year was our first time using our fire place. I paid a company to come out and clean our fire place and he did not do anything except shot vac the inside of the fireplace and it cost me $150. thanks to your video me and my husband will do it ourselves this year.
@@axelschwaiss1576 Yes, brothers and sisters in soot. I'm a sister. In America, we actually have a lot of female sweeps. My husband has been a sweep for well over 40 years and I've been by his side for 20. My first job with him was to build a hearth 20 years ago and I've learned hands-on from there. I now do basically everything but I really most enjoy the masonry, to be honest. I'm actually the legal owner of our business. Have a wonderful evening. Got to get to work in the morning to get those chimneys ready for Kris Kringle!! God bless.
As a professional chimney sweep I unfortunately have to tell you you can’t really make an open fireplace more efficient. The main drawback of an open fireplace is that the fire draws a lot of oxygen from the room, so it naturally pulls the warm air out of the room to feed the fire. Meanwhile the heat radiation from the fire itself is not good enough to compensate because open air is pretty much the worst heat conductor there is, so you often find the room will actually be colder after having a fire burning. The only thing you realistically can do is install a wood burning stove inside the fireplace, those can easily heat up a normal sized living room. Drawbacks of that include the cost of the stove and installation (several thousand dollars in most cases), and they’re not as cozy as an open fire. Hope this helps :)
Watching chimney cleaning videos and this video has good cleaning information. Major problems are caused by the chimney not being high enough above the ridgeline or the chimney surround that many have built around the brick chimney or metal chimney. A major problem is having tall trees too close to the chimney which impedes the chimney from creating the proper draft and if considerably taller than the chimney the trees can cause a negative air pressure that actually causes the air to be deflected up over the trees and then lands on top of the chimney which again impedes the chimney from having a proper draft. Bad draft conditions = smoke in the house from backdrafts and excessive creosote buildup. Wood selection is another consideration as some woods create more creosote than other types of wood, the amount of moisture in the wood, whether it has been properly seasoned or not are also considerations. Check your local codes for proper distances above higher structures such as buildings and trees, and for the minimum height above the ridgeline.
I tried to like this video and twice it clicked dislike before I successfully got the right button clicked. Great video, thank you! Showing my kids how a chimney works for homeschool and they loved your video too!
That was a very interesting and informative video. I always wonder how we clean chimney nowadays instead of using chimney sweeps like in the ye olden days
Been a chimney sweep for years and never had to get on a roof to clean a chimney.. pros do it from the firebox with flexible connecting rods ( not stiff fiberglass rods). If you buy that chimney sweeping kit recommended here then you will need to get to the top of the flue to do the cleaning and most likely your going to make a huge mess or fall of your roof.. also if your flue has a bend in it forget it
UK chimney sweep here. Greetings buddy. Never swept a chimney from the top in fifteen years.Get a professional in is the answer. A professional will do the job in forty five minutes with no mess including paper work, coffee and chatting to the customer. I charge fifty five quid for a professionally installed appliance so why risk buggering up your roof? Never go on a roof unless you absolutely have too. Ladders on a roof is just asking for damage. The worst jobs I get are from people who have been ‘cleaning it themselves’ for years and for some reason it seems to be blocked…….. You know the score buddy!
Can a chimney be cleaned from the bottom up? that is without going up on roof? I live in an old very narrow very high house where the chimney is on 2 top sections that are like on 45 degree angles and i had a stroke so dont feel at all comfortable going up that high with my wonky on off balance....
When he dropped the pole down the chime, I had a month full of water and I started laughing that my water went up my noise and I had to spit the rest out! Now that was funny!
Tis the season for amazing videos!! I’m going to head up to the roof, out to the hardware store and do this myself, tomorrow!! You’re a life saver, man! Like, probably literally!! Now, can you help me fix the gas furnace? It fails to ignite. If it’s a reasonable fix for this homeowner I’ll do it!! Just need a little bit of help to even begin to troubleshoot shoot it.
Great video, but Oh my goodness @ 5:41 ! What deranged bricklayer ever thought it was acceptable for such shocking bricklaying with cement left dripping out between the bricks as seen on the chimney!
Did you ever make a video on how to make your fireplace more efficient at heating your home? We are switching from propane to wood, but know that the traditional fireplace isnt as good as say a wood burning stove. Would like to see your video
Good information about chimney cleaning. However there are many other things that can happen to a fireplace system that are at least as dangerous as a chimney fire if not more. Fireplaces should be inspected regularly for cracks in the smoke chamber and poorly installed flue liners with missing mortar between them ( as I saw in this video). Most fireplaces have framed walls around them which require a minimum of 2” clearance from the masonry. If this is not observed old dry lumber is at risk. Water infiltration though cracks causes Spaulding of masonry and other issues. In short a qualified person should be able to to spot hazards that need to be caught early on.
Help!! (Please. 😁) I have an outdoor fireplace here in Florida for a house I just bought a few months ago.. it's built into the exterior patio wall with brick and a full chimney on the exterior of the house. I don't think there's a flu. Smoke seems to come right out of the fireplace and onto the patio instead of up the chimney. I didn't think much of it until I went up on the roof to hang Christmas lights, and out of curiosity, I walked over to the chimney to check it out.. there's a large piece of flat rectangular sheet metal (sharp on all edges) that looks like it is screwed on with some hinges on one side. My thought is that this is closing off the air flow to the chimney and preventing draw. Do I need to do work on this thing to fabricate something? Open it? If I open the solid metal sheet is there risk of crap/water getting in there? If it was built like this, I assume it was done with a purpose, but I feel like I'm lost on how to work it. Any help would be appreciated. I can answer any questions and maybe even post a video with a link of what I'm talking about if needed. Thanks in advance! 😀
I vacuumed up soot from a oil burner/boiler and the filter in it wasn't nearly fine enough to capture the soot particles. I'm surprised that shop vac wouldn't be be letting at least some soot through into the living room.
A shopvac with a good filter. You might need something long to pull down the soot into the fireplace though if your smoke shelf is located high up in the chimney /Professional chimney sweep
1:18 How are you if you can tell me where he has to buy equipment for the job. I mean the sticks that go on top of each other. I have a great desire to do this job but I don't have the equipment if you can please tell me. thanks in advance
Question please, our home is new and the wood fire place has had only about 20 fires in it, is that to few to clean it. I was thinking about using a creosote log this year and have it professionally cleaned after next. What do you think please and thank you. Jimmy
20 fires is not enough to make it necessary to clean, especially if you have been using properly dried out firewood and good airflow. /Professional chimney sweep
I used mine like 10 times every winter and I sweep it every 2 years not plenty soothe build up. I also use mixed fire wood but most Burch fire wood which burns nice and gave out less soothe.
Had two fire sweep companies come out first one clean chimney as you did and the smoke chamber second one said it looked good and did not need to be re cleaned but did say something about a spray for creosote smell the fire is a open brick burn bay that is getting a new wood stove insert with a stainless lining all the way up IS that spay NEEDED first one said nothing of a spay and the installer said nothing about a spray THANKS
How long does the fireplace need to be unused before doing this and why? We burn every Sunday. Is a week long enough? Thanks for the video! So much cheaper than hiring somebody!!
A week should be plenty. You'd want to make sure all the ash/coals in the fireplace are removed and disposed of properly in a metal can or whatever before you did it. I'd recommend you do this after every 50-70 fires.
What he doesn't mention in his response is that the ash needs to be allowed to cool 100% before putting them into the ashcan and then the can needs to be taken well away from the house!! I've seen far too many people clean out hot ash and coals and set the bucket on their porch or what have you. All of these cases resulted in no house when the owner came home!!
I'm a sweep from America and have lots of sweep friends from all over but never met one from Croatia! What a pleasure to meet you!! Have a very blessed day and stay safe!
@@MelodyMLucianoNorris-qe8lc Thanx man. Here is our service regulated by law. We are 8 sweapers in one company. And service cca 15000 homes. Bought all tools in Germany
@@filiprak1983 I'm envious I must admit! German tools are some of the best in the industry! Very very nice! In Maine, in America, we have special insurance and are registered by the state. Each town has its very own rules and regulations governing what we do in terms of safe chimneys and installs. Each state in America also has its own rules and regulations. However, the NFPA has the final say over the laws governing chimney safety as they have jurisdiction over the entire United States. It can get a bit confusing and lead to grey areas but, to be on the safe side, we just follow the NFPA rules so we are covered. However, the industry is forever evolving and growing in America so things are continually changing, including the NFPA laws. For example, back in the 1980s, everyone was shoving woodstoves in their fireplaces. Now, in the 2000s we are taking them back out and reinstalling them with stainless steel liners. Sweeps and the industry here in America are in their infancy compared to Europe. I truly believe European sweeps are far advanced of us and truly admire them and their work.
@@MelodyMLucianoNorris-qe8lc why take out the woodstove and replace with a liner? i have a ss liner now and its not very effecient. was thinking of replacing it with a woodstove? and how do you as a pro clean behind the damper and get the shelf clean? sweeps here in montana are charging 300 base and goes up from there. thanks
It is on the market and costs between $2,000 to $3,000 depending on brand and add ons. This is why our company doesn't own one!! This and the fact that even the best vacs can back up, thus destroying a customer's home. Shovel and brush for under $20 bucks and you control the dust.
Great video mate but please answer me this. Why do Americans clean the chimney from the roof? in the UK this is unheard of its always swept from inside the home at the fireplace opening
I am a sweep in the States, and I sweep from inside! I am not sure why others are doing it this way. The CSIA school almost exclusively taught sweeping from the hearth.
We sometimes clean from the roof, especially on really old chimneys because we live near the ocean. The ocean tends to break down the chimneys so, sweeping from the top, we can check the integrity of the chimney while we are up there and advise the owner if there are any concerns that have developed. We live in ME so houses here are usually very old so it is wise to keep a close eye on their integrity over time. Newer homes and certain circumstances though we do a sweep from the bottom up. Very very nice to meet you by the way. Have a very lucky and blessed Thanksgiving! Stay safe!
@@zkurtz21 It is really the same result in terms of the sweep itself. Bottom or top you get a clean chimney. The reason to clean from the top is as I stated, to check the integrity of the chimney if it is an extremely old home and/or facing the ocean as ocean-facing chimneys tend to break down fast.
Don’t forget that in the UK, for insurance, flues should be cleaned annually by a professional who gives you the required certificate for insurance purposes after the job has been done.
Does anybody know if there is any added benefit to having a professional company come and do this instead? I feel perfectly confident enough to do this on my own and not pay the $500 for a chimney sweep. I just wonder if this is literally the exact same thing a regular chimney sweep company would do or is there something else they do as a standard chimney sweep process?
In Germany you pay about 40-50 Euros (nearly the same in US-Dollar) for a chimney-sweeper. But in Germany there are many standards in chimney-building that makes the work more easier.
My company, which is in York County ME charges $175 for the first flue and $75 for each additional flue. However, most sweeps charge well over $225 to cover overhead. We reduce our overhead by having our company headquarters on the same property as our home. By drastically reducing the overhead in a way that doesn't affect the safety of the customer, we can afford to do the lower pricing. Speaking to sweep friends from all over America and Canada though, the general rule of thumb for a professional sweep who is fully insured is $225 and up.
@@MelodyMLucianoNorris-qe8lc Melody, I'll bet most chimney sweepers' "headquarters" is in their home, so that's a non-existent advantage, but makes for a good story to explain why your pricing is less. You've chosen a $175 price, which probably gets you more customers than the $225 guys.
My husband has been a sweep for way over 40 years and I have been with him for 20 of that. I'm the owner of our chimney business. At the:42 mark of your video, you show chunky creosote. Light, airy, and chunky creosote is a sign you have already had a chimney fire. At this point, if you are lucky to have not lost your home, the flue is usually clear but all the debris is now at the bottom of the cleanout area. A cheapo homeowner special brush and rod system is cheap yes, right around $100, however, they are very "limp" and tend to not be as rugged and hard as a professional brush so they are a bit harder to maneuver. My husband hates them for this very reason. Dampers can be found around the fire shelf area or they can be top mounted at the crown. If they are top-mounted at the crown you have to sweep from the bottom up!! Using a shop vac is the worst possible idea you can come up with by the way! They have a really bad tendency of puffing back debris into the room. After destroying a few customer houses this way back in the day we no longer allow the use of these in our company. We use an old-fashioned bucket and shovel so we can control the soot. Next, the reason you hire one of us professionals is to spot problems with the chimney and to avoid falling off of the roof. We are trained to navigate the roof and, should something happen, we are fully insured. The homeowner is not an insured registered professional. Your crown is cracked and, through the freeze-thaw cycle, this will worsen over time, thus breaking down your chimney. You need a proper crown seal to fix this. A homeowner couldn't possibly know this. Yes, a cap can be purchased cheaply. However, cheap caps are often made of aluminum or substandard steel. Squirrels and other pests chew right through aluminum so an aluminum cap is basically a big joke to an animal! Also, lower-quality caps may not come with a lifetime warranty. You really don't want to have to keep replacing your cap constantly as, having to replace a cheap cap over and over and over is going to eventually make that cheap cap way more expensive than the high quality, made in America caps. We purchase our caps from New England Chimney Supply in Williston VT where they are made to order by a family-run business and have a full lifetime warranty on them. Never ever cheap out on safety!! And yes, a cap is there for safety!! It keeps blockages out of your chimney which in turn keeps deadly fumes out of your home!! Installing a gas log set you must be certified and licensed with your state!! There is a reason for this. There was a situation where someone who was unqualified installed a gas unit in a home. The home blew up and a 5-year-old girl died in the blast. This sent shockwaves through our industry and caused new laws to be put into place. Now, if you install a gas unit without a license and it blows and someone dies you can be held responsible for manslaughter so just call a licensed pro and avoid all that!! I myself refuse to hold a gas license as that incident with the little girl, even though it didn't happen to me or my company, really shook me up. I want nothing to do with any of that I can tell you! Also, pellet stoves you have to uninstall before sweeping. If you sweep top down on a pellet stove the debris gets stuck into the motor and destroys the motor and fan on the unit! A fireplace insert with a proper blower that is EPA certified (All stoves are required to be EPA certified in this day and age!) will burn extremely efficiently, heat your home, and will give the look of a real fireplace. They are also a great way to keep the fireplace look when the fireplace itself is no longer safe and to code. Oh, and also, the reason a chimney professional is expensive is the fact that we are registered, trained, experienced, insured, and are performing a very dangerous job on your behalf! We are worth our price and earn every last penny of what you pay us! Think of your own job. Do you get paid what you are worth? How would you feel if your boss told you he was going to cut your pay in half because he didn't think you were worth all your hard work? We charge according to our worth. If we have to set a ladder, inhale caustic fumes, and scamper on your roof 30 feet or more above the ground then we are going to expect to be paid accordingly. We also have to cover our equipment, our gas, our insurance, and all the other requirements to run a business. We charge you $175 for a single flue and we are danged lucky if we even pocket $50 of that! Always keep this in mind when dealing with a professional sweep or any professional in the construction trades. A skilled and well-trained laborer is worth his or her weight!! I bring this up only because people always complain about the cost of hiring someone in the trades and therefore are always trying to find a way to do it themselves which often leads to them calling us for help bailing them out of their DIY nightmare! Also, be fully aware that we are not in this business to become millionaires. We are in this business to save lives plain and simple!! If we wanted to be millionaires we would go into politics and not be risking our lives cleaning chimneys!! So stay safe out there and, when in doubt, give a professional a call! Don't risk it ever!!!!!!!!!!
Do not use steel brushes to clean steel flues. Ever. Also, steel brushes should only be used when flues have major stage 2-3 creosote buildup on terra-cotta tiles. Get a higher end vacuum and a HEPA filter/dacron. Never sweep from the top down. Use a hand brush to get the firebox and smoke chamber, then move your way up. Look for signs of deterioration in your terra-cotta tiles and look at gaps and voids in the mortar joints. Cracked tiles are a sign it's time to re-line your flue with a steel liner. Coming from a certified chimney sweep/brick Mason of 22 years.
Good video but one thing i will say is the tool he used you do not have to go on the roof in fact its pointless to do so. When i had a chimney sweep service done he used basically the same tool and just did the sweep from the fireplace to the top of the chimney useing the rod no need to go up on the roof and risk your saftey
" Fireplaces at no longer an efficient way to heat your home " Lets me see. I live at a high aptitudes in sunny CA. I burn my stove 24/7. When power goes out, up here it does a lot I cook on my stove, boil water, and it lights up the the front room. I chop my own trees down and collect the wood for Free, I have about 7 to 8 chords on hand every winter. My house stays at 70° to 73° Free, how is this not efficient ? Is it better to run a LP forced air system at 5 dollars a gallon? But thanks for your video it was informative.
