Chimney Sweep

Chim chim-in-ey, chim chim-in-ey
Chim chim cher-ee!
A sweep is as lucky, as lucky can be
Chim chim-in-ey, chim chim-in-ey
Chim chim cher-oo!
Good luck will rub off when I shakes 'ands with you

We just finished our Texas winter and we actually got to use our fireplace a couple times! We noticed a little bit of smoke coming into the house when burning our fire and since we didn't know the last time the chimney has been cleaned, we decided to hire a sweep. But what is a chimney sweep and why is it necessary?

Venting systems for Heating Oil, natural gas, wood and pellet burning appliances, including building furnaces and space heaters are maintained by chimney sweeps. The standard chimney brush is still used, along with more modern tools (such as vacuums, cameras and special chimney cleaning tools), although most sweeps are done from the bottom of the chimney, rather than the top, to prevent the dispersion of dust and debris. Modern sweeps are professionals, and are usually trained to diagnose and repair hazards along with simple maintenance such as sweeps.1

Clean chimneys don’t catch fire. Make sure a Certified Chimney Sweep inspects your solid fuel venting system annually, and cleans and repairs it whenever needed. Your sweep may have other maintenance recommendations depending on how you use your fireplace or stove.2

We used Lone Star Sweeps from Austin, whom I found on Angie’s List. The price for our chimney was $120. The price depends on your particular case, but can be around $100 - $150 for a one-story house. Well worth the price for the peace-of-mind. There was some soot on the floor that we had to clean up afterwards, but nothing dramatic.

1 Chimney sweep - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
2 The Chimney Safety Institute of America