Chimney cleaning & Sweeping

Overview

Keeping your chimney clean is essential for the safety of your home. A heavy build-up of creosote can lead to chimney fires and can contribute to air pollution. Our regular cleanings can ensure the safety of your family. There are, generally speaking, three types of creosote are found in chimneys and they are usually called ‘stages’ or ‘degrees.’  All three forms are all combustible and should be removed.

First Degree Creosote Buildup

First-degree creosote has a high percentage of soot and can be removed from a chimney effectively with a chimney brush. First-degree creosote develops when there is a relatively good combustion of the wood and/or relatively high flue gas temperatures.

Second Degree Creosote Buildup

Second-degree creosote is generally in shiny black flakes. Imagine dry, hard tar corn flakes, and in greater volume than first-degree creosote.

Third Degree Creosote Buildup

Third-degree creosote buildup occurs when the flue temperatures are low and/or combustion is incomplete. Third-degree creosote looks like tar coating or running down the inside of the chimney.  It is extremely concentrated fuel.  It can get very thick as it hardens and is recoated over and over.

Sweeping the chimney

Our standard cleaning will include a state of the art video inspection to determine if repairs are needed and the amount of creosote that has built up. Then we will do a in depth removal of the creosote deposits in the chimney flue, smoke chamber, and firebox. We will use chimney brushes, hand brushes, and special rods. A soot vacuum will be used to remove ash from your fireplace.

Patriot Chimney’s Approach to Chimney sweeps

Every chimney company will approach chimney leaks from a different angle. Here’s the five core beliefs that our chimney sweep service is based on:

#1. Education

For our technicians and for you. During our time working with you, our goal is to help you understand your chimney’s system, things that are wrong with it, how the problems can be fixed, and how to keep the problems from happening in the future. Moreover, we’ll never send a crew to your home without a CSIA certified expert.

#2. Dedicated Project Managers

From the time you schedule work with us all the way through completion, you’ll have a dedicated project manager helping you along the way. Our project managers are your point of connection and the person you can turn to directly if you have any questions.

#3. Optimize for Performance & Safety

Our work on your chimney is designed to keep you and your family safe, while also keeping your system working in peak performance. Whether your fireplace is brand new or a century’s old statement piece, you can trust us to keep it running like it was on day one.

#4. Report in Natural Language

We won’t confuse you with a bunch of chimney jargon. We provide straight-forward reports that your family can easily understand. Plus, when your project manager reviews the report with you, he or she will be able to explain everything and answer any questions you may have. Besides, education is our #1 value.

#5. Have the Best People

When Patriot Chimney starts a new job, our goal is to set a new high score for service. We know that this isn’t a game, but we want to be the best. At the end of the day, we provide a service, and services are provided by people. From our project managers, to our technicians, to our customer service team, we invest heavily in recruiting and retaining the most-talented people around.

Our Full Cycle Process

Our process is built out of, and rooted in, our approach to sweeping chimneys. You may be interested in how things work after you schedule work with us. We’ve broken it down into five steps. 

So, here’s how we do things:

Step 1: Learn

Before we start to work on your chimney, even before the inspection, we talk with you. This way your project manager can understand all of problems that you might be having. 

Step 2: Discovery

Once we’ve heard from you and listened to your concerns, we begin our investigation. Depending on the problems that you face, this could be a level 1, a level 2, or a level 3 inspection. Either way, we run a camera through your flue so that we can get a top-to-bottom, inside-out understanding of what’s happening with your chimney. 

Step 3: Discuss:

At every move and every discovery, we want you to understand what is happening with your chimney. No surprises. Your project manager will explain all discoveries and action items you’ll want to address. 

Step 4: Improve

Once we’ve discovered what’s causing your  chimney to leak and your project manager discusses the action items with you, we schedule a time to work on your chimney to correct the problems you’ve been facing. Your project manager will help you and guide you through the work. We know that any home improvement projects, no matter how minor, can cause undue stress. So we want to limit that as much as possible. 

Step 5: Support

Once we’re done, our customer service team works to make sure you are happy with the work. We take our 100% customer satisfaction seriously and want you to be satisfied with our work for years to come. Any questions that  you have, you can feel free to call your project manager or our office and we’re always going to be happy to serve you as your go-to chimney experts. 

Pricing

We understand that chimney sweep prices can be a headache all on it’s own. It can be complicated. That’s why Patriot Chimney’s pricing for chimney sweeps is pretty straightforward. We charge a flat rate that varies depending on the creosote build up, material, measurements, and a few other factors. You don’t have to worry about hidden costs when you work with us. 

Want to Work With Us? 

Think we might be a good fit for you and your family? And want to join thousands of other happy customers we’ve served in Virginia?  Click below and schedule an inspection. 

Or call us at 540-225-2626.

Interested in learning more about creosote? Check out this post.