Chimney Services
Our approach to chimney sweeping in Bertha
What decides the method and the price of a chimney cleaning in Bertha.
Setting up the room before any brushing
A chimney cleaning starts indoors, well before a brush goes up the flue. Our sweeps lay heavy drop cloths from the door to the hearth, move light furniture back from the opening and seal the fireplace so soot stays inside the work area.
A vacuum made for fine soot runs while we work, drawing dust away from the room instead of letting it drift. Tell us about rugs, pale upholstery or anything valuable near the fireplace when you book, and we will plan around it. When we leave, the hearth and floor should look the way they did before we arrived, apart from a much cleaner firebox. If someone in the house is sensitive to dust, tell us, and we will take extra care with the seal around the opening.
A clogged cap screen
The mesh on a chimney cap keeps out animals and sparks, but it also collects soot and creosote. A screen clogged with deposits narrows the opening at the very top, and the fire may start to smoke into the room even with a clean flue below.
The cap screen gets cleaned on the same visit, and we make sure the cap itself is tight. The Florida Building Code, Residential, requires a masonry chimney's spark arrestor to offer at least four times the flue outlet's net free area and to be removable or reachable for cleaning, so a screen that cannot be cleaned is worth discussing with us. If the cap is loose, dented or rusted through, we tell you and quote a replacement separately.
Getting ready for your sweep
Please let the fireplace go cold before we arrive. We ask that no fire be lit the evening before a morning visit, and the ash can stay where it is, since we clear it ourselves as part of the cleaning.
Clear the mantel of fragile items, keep pets in another room and let us know about anything that affects roof access, such as a locked gate or a dog in the yard. If the fireplace has glass doors or a screen that is hard to remove, tell us when you book. A little preparation keeps the visit short and the room clean. If we should use a particular entrance or park in a certain spot, mention that too.
