Chimney Sweep

Reduce Creosote Buildups With A Chimney Sweeps

A clean chimney is a safe chimney, and no one knows that better than the qualified chimney sweep experts at Felgemacher Masonry & Chimney. We serve the entire Buffalo and Rochester NY regions including Amherst NY, Hamburg NY, Greece NY, Town of Tonawanda NY, Clarence NY, and Orchard Park NY.

Why Do You Need a Chimney Sweep?

When fires burn in the fireplace, smoke condenses in the flue and creates a substance known as creosote. Creosote can be sticky, flakey, puffy or solid, but in every case it is flammable. If you neglect to schedule annual chimney sweep services, creosote can build up to the point that it becomes fuel for a devastating chimney fire.

Our qualified chimney cleaning technicians use a variety of tools to remove stubborn creosote and restore safety to your chimney.

Chimney Cleaning & Removing Obstructions

Over time, many chimneys – especially those that are operated without a chimney cap – become collectors of all kinds of unwanted debris. Including everything from leaves, twigs, and the nests of small animals.

When the flue passage is narrowed, air can’t effectively travel through the firebox and send smoke up and away from the home. Rather, smoke may start backing up in the house. Smoke is bad enough, but the

Our professional, trained chimney sweeps can remove all manner of chimney obstructions to ensure a smooth and clean path for smoke to move through the flue.

The Value of Annual Chimney Inspections

Felgemacher’s expert chimney sweeps perform thorough chimney inspections to keep your chimney and fireplace safe all year long.

Common tasks during a chimney inspection include:

• Use of video technology to see inside your flue
• Thorough check for chimney fire damage to any area of the chimney
• Inspection of the chimney crown, chimney cap, flashing, bricks and mortar, chimney liner and other components
• Detection of chimney leaks
  

  

What You Should Know About Chimney Fires

Statistics show that creosote is responsible for most chimney fires each year in the United States. Some of these fires are big and brilliant and are obvious to everyone in the home and the surrounding neighborhood. Other chimney fires, however, are relatively small and start and go out on their own.

These smaller fires burn very hot and can easily do their share of damage to a chimney liner and chimney masonry over time. Our chimney sweeps regularly encounter chimney flues with serious fire damage that the homeowners never knew about.

Signs of a Chimney Fire

Even small chimney fires often can be detected, if you know what to look for.

Signs of a chimney fire include:

• Loud cracking and popping noise
• Large amounts of dense smoke
• The sound of rumbling, like from a distant train
• An intense “hot” smell

2 Ways to Reduce Creosote Buildup

While you can’t completely prevent creosote, you can take steps to reduce the amount of smoke your fireplace creates and thereby reduce how much creosote forms in your flue.

Burn dry (seasoned) wood – damp wood makes a lot of smoke

Ensure proper drafting – less smoke is created when a fire has sufficient air (oxygen)

Making sure your chimney can draft smoke efficiently is another important job chimney sweeps perform.

Is it time to schedule your next chimney sweep and inspection? Call (716) 907-4914 in the Buffalo NY, area or (585) 308-4914 in and around Rochester, NY. We serve all local cities and towns including Buffalo NY,