Atlanta Georgia Chimney Sweeper

The Chimney Sweep is a full service Georgia chimney cleaning and maintenance company. The Chimney Sweep offers a wide range of chimney safety and maintenance services to help care for your home. We inspect, clean, service and repair a number of areas vital to the structure and safety of your Atlanta-area home. All chimneys should be inspected annually and swept when needed to remove byproducts of combustion (such as soot and creosote) and to maintain draft so dangerous fumes can exit your home.

Our chimney cleaning services include:

Clean all types of fireplaces thoroughly & efficiently
Evaluate & repair damage
Install safety caps, dampers & spark arresters
Provide smoke tests & video scan evaluations
Test & repair smoke & draft problems
Realtor, Buyer & Seller evaluations
Repair or replace interior & exterior brickwork
Install new fireplaces
Retrofits & bracing

It takes many years of training and experience to be skilled in the chimney trade. The Chimney Sweeper, serving Georgia residents since 1978 has the right training and experience you need and deserve.

THE CHIMNEY SWEEPERS ROLE

The primary job of a chimney service professional is to aid in the prevention of fires related to fireplaces, woodstoves, gas, oil and coal heating systems and the chimneys that serve them. Wood burning heating systems, in particular, require careful monitoring and skillful operation.

Chimney sweeps install, clean and maintain these systems, evaluate their performance, prescribe changes to improve their performance, and educate the consumer about their safe and efficient operation. The basic task of a chimney sweep is to clean chimneys. Cleaning means removing the hazard of accumulated and highly combustible creosote produced by burning wood and wood products.

It means eliminating the build-up of soot in coal- and oil-fired systems, it means getting rid of bird and animal nests, leaves and other debris that may create a hazard by blocking the flow of emissions from a home heating appliance. In doing their primary job, sweeps also function as on-the-job fire prevention specialists. They are constantly on the lookout for unsafe conditions that can cause home fires or threaten residents with dangerous or unhealthy indoor air quality.

23,600 REASONS TO HAVE YOUR CHIMNEY SERVICED

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, reports that some 23,600 residential fires in the 50 states were related to solid fuel appliances and equipment in 1996. An additional 5,500 fires were attributed to chimneys and chimney connectors serving heating systems burning liquid and other fuels. As a result of these fires, 130 people died, 230 people were injured, and total property losses were set at more than $184.4 million.

In addition there were a minimum of 119 deaths from carbon monoxide and at least 4,700 "injuries" reported for the same time frame, though most estimates range much higher.

The root cause of most of these losses is that most U.S. homeowners are unaware that chimneys are an integral part of a home heating system and that they require regular evaluation and maintenance. The chimney is the most taken for granted system of the home. Your chimney may appear safe on the outside, but a look at the interior may show a number of imperfections. Continued use of the chimney could lead to loss of property or life. The threat of chimney fires and unsafe indoor air quality conditions can be greatly reduced, perhaps even eliminated, if homeowners only understood that chimneys are active home operation systems which require regular maintenance.

FIRE SAFETY TIPS for GEORGIA HOMEOWNERS

Start the season with a clean chimney.
Remove all combustible material such as baskets, decorations, kindling, firewood, etc. from the vicinity of your fireplace or wood stove, keeping all such items at least 36" away.
Make sure your tools are in good working order, including axes, splitters, mauls, etc.
Never use gas or flammable materials to "freshen up" a fire.
Have furnaces and heating appliances serviced annual for peak efficiency
Install a smoke detector in every room.
Make sure everyone (especially children) can unlock all doors and windows quickly, even in the dark.
Make an escape plan and PRACTICE it.

IMPORTANT DOs AND DON'Ts

Do check the manufacturer's guidelines for your woodstove or insert
Do use seasoned hardwood
Do use commercial fire starters if you like. They eliminate the need for tinder and reduce the amount of kindling required
Don't use charcoal lighter fluid or other flammable liquids. These are extremely dangerous. (Gel fire starters are okay.)
Don't use coal in a woodstove or fireplace unless there are spcific written instructions - it will burn, but not safely.
Don't burn artificial logs in a woodstove, unless they are specifically designed for woodstove use. Artificial logs can dirty the chimney much faster than regular wood, and can be hazardous in certain situations.
Don't burn treated lumber, trash, or anything other that wood in your fireplace or woodstove.

Don't wait for the cold weather when the heater is in use to have it inspected. Have it inspected in the spring or summer months.

A chimney deteriorated by constant exposure to the weather can be a potential safety hazard. Georgia's intense weather can damage lining systems; flue obstructions and loosen masonry materials. All present a threat to residents. Regular chimney maintenance is essential to prevent damage, deterioration, fire and future high-cost chimney repairs. Contact The Chimney Sweep, one of Atlanta, Georgia's most established chimney sweep companies and you will know that you and your family are safe from chimney hazards.

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