Questions about your chimney? Call our receptionist, Kari, at 320.414.0191. She picks up weekdays, 9 to 5.
When someone calls and asks for a chimney cleaning, the first thing we do is look at the chimney, top to bottom, because the cleaning only matters if we know what's in there and what shape the flue is in. If our technicians find more than an eighth of an inch of buildup during the inspection, that flue will need to be swept, and if they don't, we tell you that too.
What the inspection finds that a brush doesn't
A brush goes up and down the flue and it can't tell you the clay liner is cracked, that the crown on top has no overhang and is letting water into the brick, or that the flashing at the roof line has pulled away. Those are the things that let heat, smoke or water get where they shouldn't, and they're what we're looking for on the way up.
Why we won't skip it
We are helping these people, that's it, plain and simple. If we let some jobs go without a proper inspection, we're doing them a disservice and may be hurting them in the end, and with a chimney that can mean a house fire. So you get pictures of what we found and a written report, and you decide what happens next.
If any of this sounds like your chimney, call 320.414.0191. We'll come out, climb up, take pictures of what we find and show you before we quote anything.
Related: What our chimney inspection covers · What goes into the price of a sweep