How To Hire The Right Chimney Sweep
Your chimney may be the most important system in your house. It’s built to outlast your home and to continue working for a lifetime. However, it will not last without routine services and minor repairs. Your warmth, safety, and home depends upon it. You don’t only need professional services to keep your chimney in the best shape possible, but you also need to choose the right professionals. Anyone with a brush can call themselves a chimney sweep, but it takes certifications, insurance and ethics to have the standards to safely care for your chimney system.
CSIA Certified Chimney Sweeps
Since the 1980s the Chimney Safety Institute of America has been the national standard for chimney professionals and service in the US. CSIA certified chimney sweeps (CCS) have been trained in the field and the classroom to provide the best services possible. They are educated and tested over national fire safety codes, industry standards, chimney and fire science. Once certification is reached, CSIA certified chimney sweeps must continue education through re-certification or continuing education credits every three years.
Why A CSIA Certification Matters to Homeowners
The CSIA is a non-profit organization governed by volunteer who are experts in the industry. Their mission includes public and professional education with a commitment to the elimination of residential fires, carbon monoxide intrusion, and other chimney-related hazards to protect homeowners. By hiring a CSIA certified sweep, you are relying on a technician who has proven their technical expertise and dedication to safety as well as the promise to follow a code of ethics.
Code of Ethics
We understand it can be difficult to entrust your home and your safety with strangers. That is why all CSIA certified chimney sweeps abide by a stringent Code of Ethics which protects homeowners from scams. A CSIA member found in violation of this code may have their certification revoked. Without a code of ethics to follow, unqualified chimney sweeps scam homeowners with low estimate repair costs that will not fix the problem or they charge high prices for incorrect work just to make extra money.
At Billy Sweet Chimney Sweep, we want to only offer the best to our customers, friends, family, and neighbors. Residential fires and industry scams are a disappointment to us and other certified professionals across the US. Scams are possible only due to the lack of regulations. One woman paid over $4,000 for repairs that were done incorrectly. This is no isolated incident. Hiring amateurs, handymen, and other unlicensed contractors to work on your chimney can mean wasted money and a dangerous chimney. The result can cause damage to the house, or worse–loss of life.
The best use of your money and our time is to schedule routine maintenance so that major repairs are avoiding. Schedule an annual chimney inspection to catch problems before minor problems turn into major work. Hiring professionals for all of your diagnostics, repairs, annual services, and installations means the best for your home.
If you reside in the Boston, Portland, or North Shore area, call Billy Sweet Chimney Sweep for your comprehensive chimney care.
Tips For Hiring A Chimney Sweep
What Should You Look for When Hiring a Chimney Sweep? Chimney sweeping isn’t a federally regulated industry, so unfortunately, anyone can buy a couple of tools and brushes and say that they’re qualified. But hiring the wrong team for the job can be a costly mistake. A...Wood-Burning Tips
January is the coldest month of the year for our customers and for much of the US. Many homeowners buy a home with a fireplace or have a fire unit installed for the ambiance. Others buy them specifically for supplemental heat, depending on fires throughout winter for zone heating and to lower the cost of utilities. You can too, but it’s important to use your fire properly for best results.
Burn Proper Fuel
Your wood-burning fireplace or unit should only burn properly-seasoned firewood. That means the wood has been cut to length and stored for 3-6 months before being burned. This time allows for the water in the living tree to dry and burn more completely. Burning wet, fresh, or “green” wood will make it difficult to light a fire. The wood will burn incompletely and produce more creosote and soot which will drop efficiency, cause dangerous buildup, and cause odors. When you burn green firewood you will burn more than twice the amount of wood to reach a desired temperature, and you will spend more time and money on chimney maintenance to boot!
Signs Your Wood is Ready
Your wood is not ready to burn when cut, but you can store it until it’s seasoned. Many homeowners don’t have their own accessible wood supply to cut from, but you can still buy seasoned firewood. All you have to do is find a local supplier who sells seasoned firewood at a reasonable price. Check the wood before you burn it, and make sure you’re getting exactly what you’re paying for.
Signs your firewood is seasoned:
- The wood flesh is dull in color.
- The bark pulls away from the wood.
- Cracks form along the edges of the wood.
- Wood is light in weight compared to freshly cut.
- Two pieces produce a hollow sound when hit together.
Correct Use and Maintenance
Part of keeping your chimney and fireplace working properly and lasting a lifetime is using it correctly and maintaining it properly. You should schedule regular chimney sweeps and annual inspections to help determine needs and repairs for your system. Your professional can also notify you of too much residue in the system which may be caused by what type of wood you’re burning, how you’re using your damper, and your burning practices.
- Never let your fire smolder.
- Never light a fire in a cold chimney without priming first
- Never close your damper while a fire is burning.
- Never burn clothing, trash, or leaves in your fireplace.
- Follow all the instructions of your trusted chimney professionals, and schedule all necessary appointments and services.
Schedule with us.
Our technicians are certified, our business is licensed, and our craft is exceptional. It’s our priority to bring safety and warmth to our neighbors and customers, starting with you. Call 617-469-4528 or schedule online.
Why Hire a Company With Insurance
The worst thing that can happen when you’re looking to fix a problem is for something to go wrong. You wouldn’t leave your health up to an amateur, so don’t leave your chimney care up to anyone other than the certified and insured professionals, trained in chimney science. At Billy Sweet Chimney Sweep, our technicians are CSIA-certified, and our company is licensed and insured. That means if everything doesn’t go as planned, we have a plan!
The Billy Sweet Difference
At Billy Sweet Chimney Sweep we’ve provided chimney services to New England for over 30 years. We provide the highest level of customer service and care and we hold our technicians up to the highest standard as well. No matter the service, we maintain the cleanliness of the home as if it’s our own. We keep detailed documentation during the work process, and make sure the mess is contained with drop cloths, tarps, and a vacuuming system.
Routine Maintenance
If you reside in our service area, you can count on Billy Sweet for all your routine chimney services. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) chimney systems that are cleaned and inspected routinely are the safest and most efficient. Chimney sweeps and inspections are our specialty, and we do so without damaging your system. If something goes wrong and damage is incurred at our fault, we handle it through our insurance. You won’t be bothered by the cost, and we’ll get it handled quickly so it doesn’t disrupt your life. It’s vital that you choose a company with insurance so you aren’t stuck with a big bill or costly damages after services end up in repairs.
Repairs and Restorations
Billy Sweet repairs and restores chimneys in New England no matter the size, style, age, or stone type. Our masons can repair your brick. We can bring an old chimney up to code. We can restore a neglected system back to efficiency and beauty. Don’t leave your repairs and restorations up to amateurs, and don’t count on D-I-Y Youtube videos. When it comes to your chimney system, chimney science must be considered, fire safety codes adhered to, and efficiency should be a priority. Only trained and certified professionals can show your system the best care and insure the best outcome.
Worst-Case Scenarios
When you hire a neighborhood handyman or uninsured company, it’s likely that they don’t have the funding for insurance, or could not be insured due to lack of training or certifications. The worst-case scenario may happen, and the contractor would leave you with a costly repair, or make the repairs in-house, with a large bill for you. An untrained worker might damage the roof, brick, liner, crown, and more. Roof damage may be the most common problem when hiring an inexperienced chimney sweep, and may be the most expensive to repair. Don’t leave your chimney up to chance, leave it up to the professionals–trained, certified, licensed, and insured. Count on Billy Sweet Chimney Sweep.
Call our Boston location at 617-469-4528.
Call our North Shore location at 781-593-2333.
Call our Portland location at 207-773-7933.