Chimney Repair & Cleaning 423-398-1632
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  • All About Your Chimney

Now is the time to get your annual chimney cleaning and inspection

7/24/2017

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Now is a great time to get your chimney cleaned and inspected.  The National Fire Protection Administration recommends that you have your flue cleaned and 
inspected by a certified technician every year. AN important part of our service include the video inspection of te inside of your flue tile to make sure 
it is still safe to use.
Gaps in the mortar joints and cracks in the tile can open up without you having any way of knowing it. Gaps and cracks can make it very dangerous to burn 
in your fireplace so you NEED to know what condition it is in. If there is damage, we can discuss the options for geting it repaired.

 I know it doesn't feel like it right now but fall will be here befre we know it. Why not get your chimney taken care of and ready to go for the fall.
We have appointments available right now so give us a call and we will schedule your appointment.

You can reach me at 423-398-1632 or by email at mike@chimneysweepstn.com

I hope to heard from you soon,




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How Much Does It Cost to Clean a Chimney?

6/26/2014

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We don't have set prices as each fireplace is a little different. Things like height, size, amount of creosote debris and other factors can affect the amount of time it takes to clean a chimney. As a result, prices can vary slightly. However, the basic charge for cleaning a standard fireplace is $245 which includes all taxes, labor etc.   This includes power brushing the entire flue, smoke chamber and firebox and a visual inspection of the lower flue and smoke chamber. You might be thinking "$225 sounds like a lot"   First off you need to understand, no one else does the level of work we do to clean and inspect your chimney for any less.  You will find others than clean it for less money but they are not as thorough as we are. They don't take the extra time to make sure it is as clean as it possibly can be like we do. In addition, we are the only service in the area that is CSIA certified (Chimney Safety Institute of America). Your personal safety is at risk. You don't want someone to just quickly run a brush up the flue, collect their money and walk away.  We take the job very seriously and do our very best to make sure you receive a cleaning that is better than you expected.  Our philosophy is "under promise and over deliver"

Video Inspection - The only way to effectively inspect the flue tile is to insert a camera into the flue. Using the camera equipment we can get a close up view of each mortar joint looking for cracks and missing mortar. We can also spot any crack in the flue tile.  the fee for video inspection is $75

For an accurate price quote for your particular situation, call us at 423-398-1632
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National Fire Protection Administrations recommends annual chimney cleaning

6/12/2014

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Why should you get you flue cleaned every year?  
Good question. Some people go for several years without cleaning their flue. Some get by with it but most don't. I personally saw  5 homes in the Tri CIties area that burned completely down as a result of a chimney fire. Who knows how many more received partial damage. The cost of getting your chimney cleaned by a professional is nothing compared to the cost of losing your home and all your possessions. Even worse than losing your possessions, you risk losing your life or the life of a family member. Why take the risk?  
 Some people clean their chimney themselves and think they are doing a good job. While their intentions are good, I can tell you that few if any homeowners have the right equipment and knowledge to clean a flue the way we do.  We see it all the time where a homeowner goes to Lowes or Home Depot and buys a 6 or 8 inch round brush and some lightweight rods and tries to "clean" their chimney.   Most flue tiles are 13 inch by 13 inch. Think about it, an 8 inch round brush isn't going to scrub a 13 inch share tile very well. In addition they are standing up on the roof trying to reach the top of the chimney chase and then run the rods and brush up and down the flue. Working on the roof is always dangerous. 
 Certainly this is better than doing nothing but just barely. The fact is, it takes appropriate sized equipment to clean the flue adequately. We use expandable brushes that are spun by an electric motor. As they spin they expand to reach every surface of the flue multiple times per minute. Some flues have just a buildup of light ash, some have creosote, some have heavy crystallized creosote. We have different brushes for each. For the worst cases we have a brush that uses 3/16 inch steel cable for the brushing fibers. In short, cleaning a chimney is NOT a DIY project.  A homeowner can supplement the cleaning process but it should still be cleaned by a professional once per year. Don't risk your home or your life, call Chimney Sweeps of Northeast Tennessee to schedule your chimney cleaning today.
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Chimney Fires are Preventable

4/2/2014

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It is important to understand what causes a chimney fire before we discus
how to prevent one.
 Chimney fires occur when heavy amounts
of creosote build up on the flue liner walls and ignite. This results in a fire
up in the chimney flue rather than down in the fire box or wood stove where it
is supposed to be.  Creosote is a by product of burning wood and
coal in fireplaces and wood stoves. It is commonly found inside chimney flues

when the wood or coal burns incompletely, producing soot and tarry smoke.
Often times a homeowner will close down the damper trying to make the wood last
longer or last through the night. This is the wrong thing to do. When the damper
is closed down, the fire is starved of oxygen and the fire cools down. If the
fire is allowed to burn hot and fast, the smoke and combustion byproducts are
carried up the flue and vented to the outside with very little of it attaching
to the flue walls. When the damper is closed down the fire burns cooler and the
resulting combustion byproducts are cooler. This cooler exhaust travels up the
flue slower and cools even more before it reaches the top. As it cools off the
moisture will tend to condensate and allow the creosote and ash to stick to the
sides of the flue liner. Over time the buildup of creosote and ash can become
quite thick. When conditions are right, the creosote is ignited and burn very
hot up in the flue.  Most fireplaces have clay tiles for the flue liner.
Clay tiles generally crack when a chimney fire occurs due to the intense heat.
Once cracked, the flue tiles no longer serve their intended purpose of
containing the smoke and heat and must be replaced. Re-lining a chimney can be
very expensive.  It is much cheaper to use proper burning techniques and
have the chimney cleaned by a qualified Chimney Sweeps each year. As the old
saying goes- "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of
cure"
 Best practices for preventing flue  fires:
    Leave the damper fully open and allow  the fire to burn hot
    Only burn dry seasoned  wood.  Green wood burns cooler and accelerate the build up of
creosote
    Have your chimney cleaned at least once per year by a qualified chimney professional. 
If you burn your fireplace daily all winter, you may need it cleaned twice per season.

Chimney fires can  be very dangerous to your family. They often occur at night while you
are asleep and if undetected, the home can be fully involved before you know it- possibly
trapping you or a family member in the home

For more information call Chimney Sweeps at 423-398-1632 or email at info@chimneysweepstn.com
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    Author

    Mike & Chris Alexander are the owners and Technicians for Chimney Sweeps.  Your total satisfaction is our ultimate goal

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