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WHAT'S IT LIKE TO HAVE A CHIMNEY FIRE?

Let's say you haven't cleaned your fireplace in a couple of years. The soot lining the chimney flue is saturated with flammable stuff called creosote. Basically, the heat of the fire separates and then condenses the volatile creosote vapor. It doesn't take much to ignite creosote - a newspaper fire sending flames up to the damper is enough. Once kindled, creosote burns with joyous abandon, in seconds spreading up through the flue and creating a draft. As the creosote fire builds and intensifies, the heat melts the mortar between bricks and red-hot mortar fireballs shoot out the chimney onto the roof. If you're lucky, the chimney will fall apart destroying one end of the building. If you're not, this miniature volcano can bring the whole house down.

If you stand your ground, you can put out the fire in the fireplace with an extinguisher or sand and cover the opening with a wet blanket, then call the fire department. Having us thoroughly and regularly clean your chimney is a lot easier on the nerves than the sand and wet blanket method. And, we are careful to cover the carpet and the area near the fireplace before our sweeps do an excellent job of cleaning.

VIDEOS WITH NO CONFLICT OF INTEREST

The inside of your chimney can deteriorate due to rain, flue gases, earthquakes and freezing moisture. Breaks in the chimney liner, even small ones, can be a risky condition by allowing combustion gases and condensation into the home. There can be broken or missing tile liners and mortar joints, or improper prefab chimney connections. Nests, limbs and other things can block the flue.

Our knowledgeable technicians can promptly arrive at your home and accommodate your chimney concerns by providing a look inside the chimney with a state-of-the-art video camera inspection. We don't rebuild chimneys, so there is no vested interest in the outcome of the inspection. Our findings are fully documented resulting in Legal Escrow Certification, in the case of a home changing hands, or peace of mind in your chimney's efficiency for a homeowner. We've been inspecting chimneys for over 20 years and know what to look for and what, if anything, needs to be done. Our particular area of expertise is differentiating earthquake damage from routine wear and tear.

We are members of the Golden State Chimney Sweep Guild and the National Chimney Sweep Guild. We are fully insured and bonded, License #C-61-D-64 and License #741607.

A CAP IS BETTER THAN A MERE SPARK ARRESTER

You put on a cap to keep the rain off your head, and your chimney would appreciate a cap for the same reason. In California, it is required to have a spark arrester (a fancy name for a heat and corrosion resistant metal screen that prevents sparks and burning cinders from escaping out the top of the chimney onto your roof or your neighbor's roof). Besides blocking sparks from getting out, it also prevents rodents and birds from going in and nesting, as well as preventing leaves and branches from clogging your chimney.

Our company goes one better to protect the inside of the chimney from rain deterioration by installing a spark arrester cap, which has the protective screen, but also a little metal "roof." Contact us to install a spark arrester cap on your chimney.