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• Air Vent Problems - Resolution

  The quality of the air you breathe in your home is important, and we take it seriously. Our technicians have extensive knowledge about the entire venting system in your house, and we have the expertise to detect and resolve the full range of air vent issues.

• Chase Top - Replacements

  Leaky or damaged chase tops (and those made of masonry), are potential hazards on prefabricated metal fireplaces. We help eliminate problems before they start by replacing masonry and rusty metal chase tops.

• Chimney - Inspections < Sweeping

  Our Certified Chimney Sweeps use state-of-the-art equipment to inspect and sweep all types of 1st and 2nd story chimneys, including: oil, wood, and gas–burning chimneys. While sweeping your system, we ensure that it's in safe, working order. We also look for any problems that could prevent peak performance and then recommend what is needed for your system to burn cleanly and safely. When necessary, we use video inspection camera equipment to examine hidden parts of the flue.

• Chimney Cap - Installations

  The best way to prevent moisture from rain and snow, animals, leaves, and other debris from entering your chimney is to install a chimney cap. Our high–quality stainless steel caps carry a lifetime warranty.

• Crowns - Rebuild

  Improperly built crowns are another common problem. If your crown is either cracked or poorly constructed, it will allow water to penetrate, thereby posing a fire hazard. To correct this, we will build a proper concrete crown; one that's guaranteed not to crack. We will also apply a lifetime crown protectant.

• Dryer Vent - Inspections and Cleaning

  In addition to servicing chimneys, we inspect and clean dryer vents in both one-story and two-story homes. A thorough sweep by one of our dryer exhaust technicians includes searching for any issues that might interfere with optimal operation. Highly effective diagnostic tools allow us to detect and resolve issues before they become problems.

• Fireplace - Rebuilds

  Water damage resulting from a missing chimney cap is a very common problem; we solve it by reconstructing the back walls of fireplaces and returning them to their original pristine condition. We can also re-stucco entire exterior fireplaces.

• Water Leak/Waterproofing and Condensation – Resolution, Repair and Restoration

  If water is damaging your fireplace - inside or out - we'll find and fix it … no matter what the source. When it comes to chimney systems, we are proud to offer a full-range of services, whether large orß small:
  
  1. Repairing leaky flashing;
  2. Tuckpointing and masonry repair;
  3. Relining the flue;
  4. Chimney rebuilding.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does my chimney really need to be cleaned even if it was hardly used during a warm winter?  

FACT: There are more chimney fires after a warm winter than after a cold winter. Why? Because during warm winters people burn lower-temperature fires. Unfortunately, this causes heavier creosote build-up than they think. If you don't think you've burned a lot of wood for the last couple of years, check your wood pile. For example, if you had a cord of wood and went 4 years without cleaning your chimney yet your wood pile is now half gone … it's definitely time to clean the chimney.

I don't have a fireplace and my other flues are maintained by my heating company - do I still require cleaning services?  

Gas, oil and propane chimneys need to be swept too. Many customers are unaware that heating companies don't clean chimneys when they clean the furnaces. Also, heating company technicians are not trained, professional chimney sweeps. Too often a heating technician will advise the homeowner that the chimney for their oil or gas heat never needs sweeping … and next thing you know, the homeowners are being treated for carbon monoxide poisoning due to a blocked flue. Oil, natural gas and propane heat chimneys must be swept every 2 years at the very least or, every year if the home is older and has a furnace that is more than 20 years old.

I have a coal stove – do I need to give it any special attention?  

Coal stoves give off carbon monoxide and, despite the popular misconception that coal stoves burn cleanly enough to last 3 or more years before they require cleaning, the opposite is true. Coal gives off fly ash instead of creosote soot. As fly ash builds up, it gains moisture from humidity or rain seeping into the flue. This causes three very serious problems:

• The fly ash becomes a cement-like substance. Instead of sweeping away powder, the residue needs to be chiseled away (Ro-kleen) as if it were cement. This is very expensive and could end up damaging flue tiles.
• Fly ash contains sulfuric acid and, when mixed with moisture, the acid eats away at the inside of the stove, the pipes and the flue/lining. By cleaning a coal flue every year, you prolong the life of the stove and your chimney, which is far less expensive to clean than trying to break away the "cement" of wet fly ash.
• When a coal stove blocks up there is the danger of carbon monoxide poisoning. Coal stoves should be swept as soon as the burning season has ended and the pipes to the stove should remain taken apart until the new burning season arrives. This prevents moisture build-up and corrosion during the humid summer months and prolongs the life of the stove pipes, thus getting more years of service out of them and saving you money.

Do we need our chimney cleaned if we burn those clean-burning "pre-fab" logs?  

Pre-fabricated burning logs (Duraflame™ or Mountain Logs™ for example) are as much of a fire hazard as regular wood if the chimney is not maintained regularly. While these pre-fab logs burn long and cleanly, they produce a wax-like build up that sticks to everything inside your chimney. This substance coats your flue tiles, lining, damper gears, chimney cap, everything. So if you're burning these logs, don't think they burn so cleanly that you don't need to have your chimney swept. Clean the chimney every year, regardless of how many of these logs you burn during the season.

If I have a stainless steel lining, do I still have to have my chimney swept?  

Regardless of having your chimney relined with stainless steel or aluminum, the chimney still needs to be swept! Many homeowners believe that once they have their chimney relined with a stainless steel or aluminum liner, they no longer have to worry about cleaning the chimney. The truth is, nothing about your burning practices has changed. Your oil or gas furnace might run more efficiently, but the chimney still needs sweeping. As a matter of fact, if you don't sweep the chimney and this is documented by a professional chimney sweep, the manufacturer of the lining will no longer honor the warranty. Proper maintenance is required, especially if you want to protect a new $500-$3000.00 investment.

Do I really need a chimney cap?  

Yes. Every chimney needs a chimney cap! Some people don't have chimney caps on top of their flues because they just don't like the way they look; however, having a cap could save your life one day. Chimney caps not only keep out rain and snow but, more importantly, if you have a chimney fire, the spark-arresting screen keeps the sparks and burning embers inside the flue. In other words, a chimney cap prevents embers from flying up and onto your roof, thereby preventing your roof from catching on fire until the fire-department arrives to extinguish the blaze in your chimney flue. Some other important facts about chimney caps:

• Moisture. When a flue gets moisturized, it causes serious deterioration problems when mixed with certain types of soot residue, not to mention freeze/thaw damage during the winter months.
• Animals. Nice warm chimneys provide the perfect home for smaller animals, especially birds, who love to nest in flues. When burning, the heat from the appliance goes up the flue. This is inviting to small animals and birds because it provides a warm place to build a nest in a small, enclosed area. A squirrel can build a four foot deep nest in less than twenty four hours. They are also territorial, so if you remove a nest, the little rodent will be back up there building a new one as soon as it feels it is safe - usually within hours. These nests block the chimney, preventing gases from escaping, so they back up into the home, causing soot and smoke damage and carbon monoxide poisoning.
• Debris. Chimney caps prevent leaves, twigs, and seeds from falling into the flue and causing blockages or, in some cases, chimney fires. As long as the chimney cap is sized and installed properly by a professional chimney sweep, chimney caps do not change the draft on your chimney. Customers may notice that caps purchased from a professional chimney sweep may cost more than those you can purchase from your local hardware/home improvement store - this is because the quality and manufacturing processes are much higher standards than retail caps; they have better manufacturer and installation warranties. You're not only paying for a better quality cap, but also for proper professional installation and warranty.

Why is there a draft coming from my chimney?  

Drafting problems could be caused my many things: blocked/dirty chimneys that are not maintained regularly, wrong chimney cap, faulty dampers, location of where the house sits on its property or firebox size.

How do I prevent a downdraft??  

If you live on a hill or deep valley, you may experience down-drafting issues. If this is the case, there are specially-designed chimney caps which prevent a downdraft, thus making the chimney run more efficiently and, in some cases, useable when it once was not. One such cap is a special, down-draft preventer called a Vacu-stak™.

Why does it look like a tree is growing out of my neighbor's chimney?  

Sometimes people see little tree-like branches growing out of the top of their chimney – yes, trees CAN grow in chimneys. Sometimes seeds from other trees fly through the air (or are carried by birds and sometimes dropped down the chimney) and, when the seeds embed themselves in the soot along the lining of the flue and mix with moisture from rain or snow, a tree can literally grow out of the chimney. This is a serious problem and can cause major damage and deterioration, not to mention blockages. This is also another example why it is important to put a cap on every flue in your home. 

Additional information  

Multi-flue caps are available for chimneys with more than one flue. This larger cap covers all of the flues, instead of having two or more single flue caps at the top. Sometimes this is more pleasing to the eye and less expensive than a multitude single caps.

View our photos below.