It Pays to Hire a Certified Chimney Sweep

When it comes to cleaning your chimney, no one can do it better than a certified chimney sweep. Throughout America, these highly trained individuals bring the tools and hands-on experience needed to thoroughly, correctly, and safely clean a chimney.

In the Buffalo, NY, and Rochester, NY, regions of America, Felgemacher has provided certified chimney sweeping for our customers since 1953. It pays to hire a chimney professional with recognized credentials. Here’s why.

The certifications

Two leading certifications a chimney technician can receive in the U.S. include:

NCSG Certified Chimney Sweep

This certification is given by the National Chimney Sweep Guild. Earning it requires a successful score on a stringent knowledge-based examination developed with input from more than 600 chimney professionals. 

CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep

The Chimney Safety Institute of America also rigorously tests its applicants before awarding what might be the most recognized chimney sweep certification in the industry.

To gain either certification, a chimney worker must demonstrate sound knowledge of:

• Drafting physics
• Safe chimney operation
• Chimney fires
• Techniques and tools for properly removing creosote and soot from chimney flues
• Chimney safety inspections
• Lawful clearances between active chimney components and parts of the home

The companies and individual technicians who carry these certifications have invested significant time and money in the process. Becoming a certified chimney sweep is serious business.

What does a certified chimney sweep do?

The work of a chimney sweep centers on cleaning and inspecting chimneys and, in some cases, draft systems for other types of heating appliances.

Cleaning a chimney involves removing built-up creosote, which forms when smoke condenses in the flue during a wood fire. Chimney sweeps also remove exterior debris from chimneys without a chimney cap. A good chimney sweep will not let a capless chimney continue to run without encouraging the homeowner to have one installed.

Most chimney sweeps also handle safety inspections that cover the readily accessible areas of a chimney system. This inspection should be done once a year.

Other inspections are performed when:

• The home is being sold
• The chimney system is being modified, such as by adding a new appliance to the chimney or relining it
• A chimney fire or other event is thought to have caused damage
• Serious damage is known to exist

The value of certified chimney sweeping

Here are the three main values.

Reduced chance of a chimney fire

The removal of creosote is one of a certified chimney sweep’s main jobs. Creosote is responsible for most of the reported chimney fires each year in the United States, which is no surprise since as little as an eighth of an inch of creosote can ignite.

Reduced chance of component damage

Along with being flammable and volatile, creosote is also acidic and can eventually eat away at the chimney liner, fireplace damper, parts of the smoke chamber, the chimney cap, and other components.

Reduced chance of smoke and combustion gas backups

Leaves, twigs, small animal nests, and the occasional dead animal all serve to narrow the chimney flue and keep it from drafting smoothly. A big enough obstruction can send smoke and deadly carbon monoxide into the home’s living spaces.

Hire a certified chimney sweep in Buffalo, NY, or Rochester, NY

Felgemacher carries certifications from the NCSG and the CSIA. We’re ready to clean and inspect your chimney and help you keep it running safer and more efficiently. Reach us by phone or through our contact form for more information or to schedule an appointment.