Chimney Sweeping Service
Chimney sweeping is a vital service to insure the health and safety of your family and home. All chimneys, including the chimney for your furnace, should be inspected annually by a Certified Chimney Technician. Chimney sweeping is essential to remove creosote deposits and other debris from the chimney and ventilation system. Creosote buildup in chimneys can lead to flue blockages and corrosion (premature deterioration). In the event of a flue blockage, dangerous fumes can be forced into your home. Creosote is highly flammable and when allowed to build up, the result could be a chimney fire. Did you know that the average temperature of a chimney fire can often exceed 2000 degrees? This massive heat surge can do immense damage to your chimney and in some cases, cause damage to your house.
Methods of chimney sweeping include, but are not limited to:
(1) Standard Sweeping: This is the normal sweeping method, and involves the use of brushes to remove the deposits on the chimney walls. A powerful, hepa filtered vacuum is used to prevent soot and creosote from entering the home. This type of sweeping is effective for soot and ordinary creosote deposits, but has little effect on glaze deposits.
(2) Mechanical Cleaning: Mechanical cleaning involves the use of rotary wire brushes, rotary plastic cables, or special chains rotated at a high speed by an electric motor. Mechanical cleaning is often employed to remove hard creosote or glaze deposits, and is included in Level II and Level III inspection guidelines.
The following statistics are excerpts from the 2003-2005 Residential Fire Loss Estimates released by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (USCPSC), August 2008.
These are the latest statistics available as of 9/1/08.
| Estimated Residential Structure Fires | ||||
| Equipment | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2003-2005 Average |
| Total Residential1 | 374,700 | 386,100 | 375,100 | 378,700 |
| Fireplace, Chimney, Chimney Connector |
25,600 | 25,200 | 24,500 | 25,100 |
| Estimated Residential Structure Fire Deaths | ||||
| Equipment | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2003-2005 Average |
| Total Residential1 | 2740 | 2850 | 2630 | 2740 |
| Fireplace, Chimney, Chimney Connector |
50 | 20 | 20 | 30 |
| Estimated Residential Structure Fire Property Loss (In Millions) | ||||
| Equipment | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2003-2005 Average |
| Total Residential1 | $5,311.5 | $5,308.3 | $6,215.6 | $5,611.8 |
| Fireplace, Chimney, Chimney Connector |
$142.9 | $120.2 | $115.2 | $126.1 |
1- US Consumer Product Safety Commission/EPA, from data obtained from the US Fire Administration and NFPA
Website links
- Chimney Saver Water Repellents
- http://www.chimneysaver.com/chimney_saver_water_base.html
- Golden Flue
- http://goldenflue.com/
- Chimney Caps
- http://chimneycaps.net/
- Chimney Safety Institute
- www.csia.org
- North Carolina Chimney Sweeps
- www.ncchimneysweeps.com