Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ's

What must I do to prepare for your service call?

When we come to clean the chimney at your home, we will need to be inside in order to have access to the fireplace. If you cannot be home at the time of the appointment please make arrangements for our tech to gain access to your system. Please do not have a fire at least 8 hours before our visit, and if you have gas logs, make sure they are not turned on the day of our visit. Please clean out all of the ashes in your fire place, and be sure there are no hot embers. There will be an extra charge for hot embers.

We require a clear and safe entry to each residence. If we do not have a clear and safe entry the client will be billed the full balance for whatever  the schedule service may be. Please move any valuable, fragile or irreplaceable items from the fireplace and hearth area. Since we have to be in and out, please secure your pets. Feel free to have your children watch and ask our experts questions about fire safety.

Payments must be made the day of service. We accept cash, checks or credit cards. If you have to cancel or reschedule your appointment, please do so as soon as possible so that your time slot can be refilled. By scheduling an appointment with Pro Vac Chimney Sweeps LLC you are agreeing to these terms, including removing obstacles and ornaments within the residence to gain access to the system or systems in question.

How often should I have my chimney cleaned and when is the best time to do it?

The N.F.P.A. (National Fire Protection Association) recommends yearly inspections to determine if your chimney needs cleaning and is safe to the current standards.

Most of our customers have annual cleanings; however, some can go two or even three years between cleanings and others require two cleanings per year.

Your woodburning habits will determine the frequency of chimney cleanings you require–factors such as the type of wood you use, how long ago the wood was cut, how hot a fire you have (low, smoldering fires create more dangerous creosote), and of course how often you have a fire. It is best to play it safe and have yearly inspections to determine the condition of your chimney.

Most people think the best time to have their chimney checked and cleaned is in the early fall before the burning season. However, the best time is actually right after the burning season in the spring.

Creosote residue is acidic. When spring moisture arrives and the carbon deposits get wet, it becomes even more acidic and can cause serious damage to the stainless steel liner.  Also, during the hot summer months, humidity and creosote combine to cause an unpleasant sooty odor around your fireplace area. A spring service call will help to minimize these problems.

Another problem that can occur is birds nesting in your chimney. During the spring and summer, Birds raise their young in uncapped chimneys. By having us out in the spring, we can make sure your chimney is securely capped and prevent animals and debris from entering the flue, becoming a nuisance and a health hazard. 

You can avoid a long waiting period by calling before the fall rush. If an inspection reveals a problem with your chimney, it can be repaired during the offseason. By having your chimney cleaned and repaired in the spring and summer, your fireplace will be ready for you to use when the first cool spell comes in the fall.

Why should I only hire a Certified Chimney Sweep?

It only takes a few brushes, a vacuum, and a ladder for someone to call themselves a chimney sweep. Yet it takes years of training and experience to be skilled in the trade as a true professional. In order to ensure a level of expertise within the chimney sweeping trade, the National Chimney Sweep Guild (NCSG) developed the Certified Chimney Sweep Program. Now administered through the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA), the educational department of the NCSG, a certified sweep has demonstrated a knowledge of current local code requirements, the physics of burning wood and creosote formation, technical issues related to draft, chimney dynamics, and the tools and techniques of the trade. Also, a thorough knowledge of the National Fire Protection Association’s code book “211–Standard for Chimneys, Fireplaces, Vents, and Solid Fuel-Burning Appliances” is a must.

Becoming certified means taking and passing an exam, every three years, demonstrating a knowledge and understanding of the information contained in the CSIA study manual as well as the information found in the NFPA codebook 211. The study manual is revised regularly and kept up to date on new equipment, current regulations and codes, and any changes in the solid fuel industry. The exam that the certified sweep must pass is thorough, technical, and broad-based. The only legitimate certification is issued through the CSIA, and the certified chimney sweep has a badge to prove it along with the CSIA logo in all advertising.

The very fact that we have taken the time, spent the money and devoted the energy to becoming certified means we care a great deal about giving you the very best service possible. Being certified means we have the ability to evaluate your chimney from an educated perspective as well as the ability to make sound, knowledgeable recommendations. Our certification by the CSIA is your assurance that we are committed to our business and are up to date with being the very best we can be in our industry.

What is creosote and how can I minimize a creosote build-up in my chimney?

Creosote is the byproduct of wood burning that accumulates in the chimney and fireplace or wood stove. It originates as condensed components in smoke (including vapors, tar, and soot). Creosote is often initially liquid but may dry to a flaky or solid form. If left to continue to accumulate over many burning seasons, it can build up into a tar-like glaze that is very difficult to remove. Creosote is highly flammable and can be ignited by a spark or the heat of a wood fire causing a chimney fire. Chimney fires are explosive fires, hard to control, and can damage or destroy the chimney, allowing the fire to spread to combustible structural materials inside the home and even spreading to the roof.

When creosote is in its early stages, it is flaky and sooty and can be removed by using professional chimney brushes as a sweep would do. However, in its tarry, gummy, or hard glazed form, it is very difficult to remove. So it is essential that your chimney is cleaned and inspected regularly to prevent creosote from building up into this flammable, hard glaze.

Another way to minimize creosote build-up is to burn only dry, seasoned wood, preferably hardwoods that have been seasoned at least 6 months to a year. Freshly cut (green) wood has a lot of moisture in it and causes creosote to build up only after a few fires. Find a dry place in which to store your wood.

You can also, you can minimize the formation of creosote by burning hot fires rather than low-burning, smoldering fires. Low-burning, smoldering fires create incomplete combustion–causing unburned gases from the wood to go up into the chimney, condensing on the cool walls and forming creosote.

Poorly designed chimneys and improperly installed wood stoves also lead to creosote build-up, so make sure to have your chimney inspected and repaired to prevent future problems.

How dry should my wood be?

For this are Lodge Pole Pine should not exceed about 13% water content.

What type of wood should I use?

The type of wood that you use in your fireplace or wood stove is not as important as how long ago it was cut. The time between the cutting of the wood and the time it is used is called the seasoning process. You want your wood to be seasoned at least 6 months to a year. Freshly cut wood (or green wood) has a higher moisture content and creates more dangerous, hard glazed creosote on the interior chimney walls. (See answer to question four above about creosote.) The wood that you use also needs to be dry…It is important to store your wood in a dry location; wet wood has a tendency to cause your fireplace to smoke.

The best and most economical time to buy your wood for winter is early in the spring so you can get green wood and season it yourself over the spring and summer months. There is usually a considerable price difference between green and dry wood. If you do wait to buy your wood in the fall, make sure it is really dry and seasoned. Signs of seasoned wood are splits on the ends of the logs, relatively lightweight, and the sound of two logs struck together (dry wood cracks, green wood thuds).

If you have a choice, the best type of wood to burn in your fireplace or woodstove is hardwood. Some examples of hardwoods are oak, hickory, dogwood, sugar or hard maple, white ash, black and yellow birch, crabapple, and apple. The reason that hardwoods are a better choice is that they are a denser, heavier wood. Denser woods have a higher heat potential (measured in BTU’s). You will get more heat out of your wood for the money with the harder woods.

Some examples of the softer woods which have a much lower BTU (heat potential) to avoid are box elder, cottonwood, red alder, tulip and balsam poplar, douglas fir, aspen, and pine. If you have no other choice but these softwoods, they will burn…you just have to replenish the fire more often and will need to use much more of the wood in a given evening than you would the hardwoods.

Woods vary in other ways besides density, such as ease of splitting, the speed of drying, resin content, ash content, aroma, tendency to throw sparks, and coaling qualities. These are the factors that give each kind of wood its characteristics as firewood. If you are lucky enough to come across some dry, seasoned apple wood, purchase it because it has a really nice aroma when it burns. Aspen, cedar, and hemlock throw sparks. Be careful when burning these–burn only when the stove doors are closed or the firescreen is on.

Is it okay to use a fireplace that has a cracked liner in the chimney or no liner at all?

No, it is not safe to use an unlined chimney or one that has a cracked liner. In order to use a fireplace for wood or gas, your chimney must be lined with no cracks or defects on the interior walls. The National Fire Protection Association (N.F.P.A.) codebook on chimneys, section 7.2.2 states that all masonry chimneys shall be lined.

Under no circumstances should fires be built in fireplaces or furnaces vented to chimneys without the benefit of a properly installed flue liner. Unlined chimneys allow heat to move through brick chimney walls very quickly and can cause adjacent wood and insulation to catch fire. In addition, unlined or improperly lined chimneys venting gas or oil burning appliances can allow poisonous gases such as carbon monoxide to leak into the dwelling with possibly fatal consequences.

A cracked or damaged liner is a good indication that at one time a chimney fire has occurred. You can have a chimney fire and not even be aware that you are having one. During such a fire, the flue tile liners of a masonry chimney often crack, break, or shatter due to the intense heat. Upon post-fire inspection, the chimney would certainly be labeled damaged and need to be repaired (relined) before being used again. Even though it may look innocent enough, a cracked liner can open during a subsequent fire, allowing smoke, sparks, and flames to come dangerously close, threatening the wood framing surrounding the chimney. It is essential to have your chimney thoroughly inspected and documented with a hi-def closed-circuit video camera by a certified chimney sweep if you suspect you have had a chimney fire.

Do you repair stoves?

Yes. We replace windows, gaskets, baffle board, tubes, etc.

Do you remove dead animals?

We can and it depends on the circumstance.

Have a different Question?

Pro-vac Chimney Sweeps proudly offers chimney and dryer vent cleanings and inspections in the following areas: