Services
Notes from our Lake Charm chimney sweeps
Useful to know before you book a sweep for your Lake Charm home.
Sweeping from the roof or from below
Some chimneys are best cleaned from the top down, others from the fireplace up. Roof pitch, the cap, how the flue bends and how the fireplace opening is built all decide which way the brush travels on your chimney.
Either way, the room side is sealed first and the debris falls where we can collect it. If the cap has to come off for access, we check its screen and fasteners before it goes back on. On a steep or fragile roof we may clean from below and look at the top separately, and your service notes say which parts were reached from where. Whichever direction we use, the brush passes are repeated until the flue walls come clean.
Birds and animals in the flue
Scratching, chirping or twigs in the firebox usually mean something is living in the chimney. Chimney swifts nest in masonry flues and are protected under the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and Florida wildlife rules restrict when bats can be excluded from a building.
Sweeping an occupied flue can mean waiting until the animals have gone, or handing the job to our animal removal service first. Please do not try to smoke an animal out or light a fire under it. Once the flue is clear, a properly sized cap with a screen keeps the next visitor from moving in, and we can price one along with the cleaning. A cap also keeps rain out of the flue, which protects the damper and firebox from rust and staining.
A chimney smell that lingers
A smoky or musty smell from a cold fireplace often comes from deposits in the flue reacting with moisture. It tends to be strongest when the air is damp or the house is closed up and air is drawn down the chimney.
Cleaning removes the deposits behind much of that smell, and a well-sealing damper or a cap can keep damp air and rain out afterward. If the smell persists after a proper cleaning, we look for a leak or an airflow problem as a separate question. Gas odor is another matter entirely. Get everyone out, then phone the gas utility or 911 from the yard or the street. Keeping the damper closed while the fireplace is cold also helps, since it limits the air moving through the flue.
