It’s that time of the year again when your chimneys are in need of a deep clean so naturally, you’ll want to hire chimney sweep services for it. But how do you know that they are good at their job? Well, here are some questions you can ask a chimney sweep, before letting them near your chimney.
What Happens In A Chimney Deep Clean?
Chimneys are great for keeping smoke from the fireplace out of your room, but sometimes, they can be in need of a deep clean. Usually, you can tell if a chimney needs to be cleaned, if there is a lot of accumulation of a black-colored substance on the walls of the chimney and some of it is also falling down on the base of the fireplace.
This black substance is known as soot. Soot is the product of wood being burned and the residue can take refuge on the walls and harden over time. You can also tell when a chimney isn’t working properly if there is smoke collecting in the room and there’s no way out for the smoke through the chimney. The soot can clog the chimney and it can cause smoke build-up in the room where your fireplace is, which isn’t good at all.
A chimney can also be in need of a deep clean, especially after the winters have passed because, in places like Michigan, North Dakota, Minnesota, Alaska, and other states where there are extremely low temperatures in the winter, chimneys are used to their max because, without them, the house can be very chilly and not cozy at all. There can be soot as well as creosote on the chimney walls that need to be cleaned, otherwise, the performance of the chimney might be affected.
This is where a chimney sweep comes in handy. They are the people who are responsible for cleaning your chimney and getting rid of all of the gunk and accumulation in the spout of the chimney. They are usually hired once or twice a year, depending on how much cleaning your chimney needs and how much it is used on a regular basis. They have special tools and experience to clean a chimney effectively and they will also ensure that your chimney stays undamaged during the entirety of the process and that it works perfectly for years to come.
How Often Does A Chimney Need Cleaning?
Every chimney is different and the number of times that you need to clean a chimney depends on how much it is used throughout the year. Before cleaning your chimney, the sweep will take a look at your chimney and see how much soot and creosote is accumulated in the walls of the chimney and then they can give you exactly how many times you should get your chimney cleaned in a year.
Keeping a clean chimney will only help you in the long run and you won’t be faced with unwanted problems and failures in the operation of the chimney.
What Is The Cost Of Chimney Cleaning?
This is also another important question to ask a chimney sweep. Again, this will vary with the chimney. The size, the degree of cleaning needed for the soot and creosote, and the time it will take to clean the chimney are important factors in determining the chimney sweep cost.
A professional and experienced chimney sweep will obviously charge a bit extra because they are professionals in their line of work and they can get the job done quickly and efficiently. A good thing to remember is that the cost of a chimney sweep shouldn’t be too low or too high. It should be reasonable, at the end of the day.
How Much Time Will Chimney Cleaning Take?
This question is also very important to ask a chimney sweep because you want a certain timeline on how the chimney will be cleaned and when will everything be done because the fireplace will not be usable during the cleaning of the chimney. Usually, a normal chimney sweep doesn’t even take a day to complete.
It gets done in a couple of hours and before deciding on the time, the chimney sweep will take a look at the chimney first, before giving you an allocated time.
Are You Certified?
Whatever you do, you want to make sure that the chimney contractor Upper Marlboro you’re hiring is legit and knows what they’re doing. So, before hiring someone, it is a good idea to ask the person about the chimney cleaning certifications that they have, just to ensure that you’re not hiring an amateur who has no idea how to clean chimneys.
You shouldn’t hire a chimney sweep without having a look at their certifications and experience, because that’s going to determine how professional they actually are and whether they’re even registered to work as a chimney sweep or not.
What Is The History Of Your Business?
You can usually hire chimney sweeps from certain chimney cleaning companies, and if you’re looking for a professional and legit worker, then it’s best to do a little bit of research on the company as well. You want to make sure that the company is registered to work in your area and that all of the chimney sweeps have insurance.
Since cleaning chimneys can be a bit dangerous, if done from a height, the company insures all of the workers, so that no one gets in trouble and everything is taken care of, even if something bad or uncertain happens.
What Is Your Client Satisfaction Rate?
If you’re hiring a chimney sweep company, then you also want to go over the reviews of the company as well as certain workers or chimney sweeps, while you’re at it. This will give you a general idea of how the company works and whether the clients are even satisfied with the services or not.
Reviews can set a standard for you and you can select the best company and chimney sweeps out there, who are not only professional, but they will leave you feeling satisfied with their work because that’s what a good experience is all about.
How Will You Clean The Chimney?
There are several ways in which a chimney sweep can clean a chimney. Usually, it is done from the bottom up, but sometimes, it can also start from the top and end at the bottom. Usually, the bottom-up cleaning method is safer and it ensures that the chimney is cleaned in a wonderful way.
The chimney sweep, then, gradually goes up and gets rid of all of the gunk and even animals and small birds living in the spout of the chimney. It’s important to go over this detail with the chimney sweep, from the start.
Conclusion
These questions are going to help you a lot in finding the perfect person for this job. The way a chimney sweep answers these questions will determine their expertise. Typically, you should interview at least three chimney cleaning services Ellicott City. However, if you have a recommendation from a friend or someone else, then you can directly ask these questions to that recommended service.