We Sweep All Types of Chimneys
We clean and service all wood burning fireplaces, or hearth appliance (wood, gas, and pellet) and their venting systems as well as furnace vents. Regular cleaning and inspection of your fireplace and chimney by a Chimneys Plus professional chimney sweep is the best way to ensure both your safety and enjoyment of the hearth.
Multiple Cleaning Options
Chimney fires and unsafe indoor air quality conditions can be avoided through a program of regular maintenance.
We Find A Solution That Works For You
Our first job is to hear you, to learn about the problems you are seeking to address and to come up with the most viable and workable solutions for your situation.
We Ask The Right Questions
We know how to ask the right questions to determine what you really want for your home and hearth.
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Our Professional Recommendation
We recommend that all wood and gas chimneys be cleaned and inspected on a yearly basis. Your safety and ability to enjoy your hearth depend on a safe, reliable chimney and fireplace. When we clean a chimney, we start by laying out tarps around our the stove or fireplace and set up our dust control equipment. We then brush to remove ash and creosote deposits from the entire system.
To inspect the chimney, we look at key areas throughout the system. When applicable, we use a Chim-scan video camera to look up inside the flue and to access hard to reach areas. We compile the pictures and information to create a report explaining the overall condition of the chimney system. With each fireplace or stove system, we look for different types of issues and areas of concern.
Our employees are fully insured and we are certified through:
Chimney Safety Institute of America
Joseph Quaile (Certified Chimney Specialist #27) Phillip Parker (Certified Chimney Sweep #10365)
National Fireplace Institute
John Fisher (NFI Gas Specialist #178995) Phillip Parker (NFI Gas Specialist #180563) Nathan Carson (NFI Gas Specialist #180066)
NC Licenses
John Fisher (Fuel Piping Contractor L.36589) Chimneys Plus (General Contracting L.100047)
Wondering what your chimney cleaning involves? Visit the Chimney Safety Institute of America’s tutorial page for a quick video.
Let us identify your chimney problems!
The key to making any decisions about services your home may need is correctly identifying the problem you are experiencing. Some common issues an inspection can help address:
Unpleasant odors coming from your chimney Smoky or poor burning fires Leaking roof or water stains near your hearth Debris or animals getting into your chimney Crumbling masonry or spalling bricks around your hearth
Comprehensive Chimney Cleaning Included
Anytime we are asked to do a chimney cleaning we also perform a thorough inspection of your chimney or hearth as part of the process. Key issues we seek to identify depend on what type of chimney you have. Here are some of the items we are looking for during the cleaning and inspection process.
Troubleshooting and Chimney Consultations
A consultation may be the best solution for defining goals for the fireplace, hearth and chimney and then planning your next project or priority. We can troubleshoot common draft issues, performance problems, water leaks and provide estimates and solutions for fixing these problems with your hearth. Maybe you would like to increase energy efficiency, remodel an old hearth, or add a new woodstove to a chilly room. Based on your specific goals we can provide options and solutions for you to consider.
Internal Chimney Video Inspection
One of our key technologies for troubleshooting a chimney problem is our internal video inspection process. Our special Chim-Scan camera travels up and down the chimney and provides detailed images of the chimney lining and the joints. We provide photos from the scan along with our assessment and recommendations for your hearth.
What We Look For (Chimney Cleaning FAQ)
We are often asked what the cleaning and inspection process involves and what items are inspected for different types of hearths and appliances.
Our Chimney Sweeps look for:
- Proper hearth size and clearances to nearby combustibles
- Cracked or loose brick in the fireplace
- Gaps, cracks and voids in the smoke chamber
- Cracked flue tiles, or gaps in the mortar joints between the flue tiles
- Exterior masonry deterioration including loose brick and mortar, and spalling brick
- Cracked or deteriorated chimney crown that is allowing water to soak into the masonry
- Missing chimney cap or a cap that inadequately protects the chimney from animals or water penetration
- Deteriorated or improperly installed flashing
What we look for:
- Proper hearth size and clearances to nearby combustibles
- Cracks in the back or side refractory panels
- Improperly connected section of chimney pipe within the flue
- Proper clearances from the chimney pipe to combustible materials
- Exterior deterioration of the wooden chase structure
- Rusting to the chase cover or other signs of leaking
- Missing chimney cap or a cap that inadequately protects the chimney from animals or water penetration
- Deteriorated or improperly installed flashing
What we look for:
- Properly installed heat shields, and sufficient hearth size and clearance between the stove and nearby combustibles
- Warped or otherwise deteriorated stove components
- Improperly connected section of stove pipe.
- Proper clearances from the stove pipe to combustible materials
- Missing or inadequate chimney cap.
- Deteriorated or improperly installed flashing
What we look for:
- Cleanliness and proper positioning of gas logs
- Correct voltage to the valves
- Pilot and burner functioning and cleanliness
In addition to servicing the gas unit, the flue or venting system must also be inspected as well. This inspection is the same as a wood burning hearth as described above and is based on the system in your home.
