A Step In Time Chimney Sweeps

Mail us to

ray@chimneysweep.com

Call for help:

+1-833-244-6639

Monday - Friday

8:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Corporate Location

696 S. Rosemont Rd. VA 23452

New Chimney Sweep Reports

Colder months are coming in quick, which means it’s crucial to get your chimney inspected. This is much more than your annual sweep and can help prevent your home from being the one in over 20,000 house fires a year caused by a faulty chimney or fireplace.

There’s different levels of chimney inspections you can get – level 1, 2 or 3. We outline the importance of each and what every level covers in this blog post. With a fire that’s sure to be burning a lot in the cold months, we recommend a level 2 chimney inspection. 

We may use scanning and video equipment to inspect the flue and interior parts of the chimney. These measures guarantee a more thorough and in-depth inspection to ensure that everything is functioning properly before lighting a fire. You will need a level 2 inspection if you’ve recently had a chimney fire. If you’re not sure whether or not you had a chimney fire, and inspection should be able to determine this. 

Before revving your fireplace up for your first fire of the winter, there are a few steps you should take along with the inspection:

  • Check for damages: Look for any cracks, loose bricks, or deterioration. Take a look and see if the chimney is properly attached to the home also. Water damage is crucial as well, as this can cause bigger issues for the entire house
  • Note any abnormalities: let your inspector know about any oddities you may have found in your initial walkthrough. While we’ll usually catch these issues, knowing what to keep an eye our for will allow us to inspect your specific concerns more thoroughly. 
  • Cap the chimney: make sure your chimney cap is on and secure; our inspections will double-check your handiwork for you
  • Take care of your gasket: Check that the gasket sealing the door and ensure it’s not worn or too old. Our inspectors can tell you for sure, but getting ahead of this can prevent excess oxygen from getting into your fire and creating a problematically larger fire.
  • Check your alarms: replace the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. If you don’t have both of these in your home, you might want to get a few for rooms around the fireplace. 
  • Watch your wood: when your inspection is done and your chimney is swept, be mindful of how much wood you build and how it’s oriented in your fireplace. Add just enough for kindling and build up from there without overloading your chimney.