Our Company Blog

Why professional certifications matter

If you are in the market for a chimney sweep, it can be difficult to distinguish one chimney service company from another. The scary truth is that anyone who purchases the right equipment can sell their services as a chimney sweep. Fortunately, you can be assured you are hiring a trained and qualified chimney sweep who will take care of your hearth and your home properly: Just look for professional certifications from the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA).

Training

One of the most important benefits of hiring a CSIA-certified chimney sweep is that the certification verifies that your sweep has undergone training and testing in the cleaning, installation and servicing of fireplaces, heating stoves and chimneys. To become certified, sweeps must first study proper chimney sweeping techniques; the National Fire Protection Association’s code 221, which governs proper chimney maintenance and repair; and the International Residential Code, which outlines proper building techniques for homes. Then, sweeps must sit through a review of the material, either through an in-person session, an intensive training academy or online. To finally earn their certification, sweeps must complete a one-hour exam on chimney sweeping practices and the NPA 221, and a 90 minute exam on the International Residential Code.

Continuing education

CSIA-certified chimney sweeps are required to attend continuing education courses to maintain their certifications, which means that when you hire a CSIA-certified sweep, you can be sure that your sweep is up-to-date on the best practices in chimney care. To maintain their CSIA certification, chimney sweeps must recertify every three years, either by retaking the certification exams, completing continuing education courses or through a combination of the two.

Code of ethics

Another reason your chimney sweep’s professional certification matters is that CSIA certification binds your chimney sweep to the CSIA’s code of ethics. Under the CSIA code of ethics, sweeps guarantee that they will learn and implement the CSIA’s recommended sweeping techniques, that they will not engage in any deceptive or unfair business practices, that they will comply with local building codes and appliance manufacturers’ recommendations, that they will educate their customers on safe use of fireplaces and chimneys, that they will continue to update their chimney sweeping knowledge and skills, and that they will behave professionally as representatives of the chimney sweeping industry.

With a CSIA-certified chimney sweep, you can be confident that you are hiring a sweep who knows how to clean and maintain your vented appliances the right way, who is up to date on the latest chimney sweeping techniques and who will treat you fairly and professionally. If you need a CSIA-certified chimney sweep to care for your fireplace, heating stove, chimney, clothing dryer vents or other vented appliances, call Your Chimney Sweep to schedule an appointment! Our sweeps are CSIA-certified to care for your chimneys and your clothing dryer vents.

Tips for starting a fire in a cold fireplace

When you light a fire in your fireplace, are you greeted with a face — or even a room — full of smoke? Often, a backdraft of smoke into your home when you light a fire is a sign that your chimney is too cold. Cold, dense air fills the chimney, blocking the smoke from rising up and out of the chimney as it should. Once the chimney warms, the fireplace and chimney work together as they ought to keep smoke out of your home. This problem is especially when the chimney is located on an exterior wall of a home, where it doesn’t have the home’s structure to insulate the air with in.

If you suffer this problem regularly, you don’t have to deal with the smoke each time you light a fire. By following some simple tips, you can have your cold chimney drafting properly as soon as the fire begins to roar.

Tip 1: Open your damper in advance.

Your damper seals the warm air of your home from the cold air of your chimney. Opening your damper a half an hour or so before you light the fire can allow some of the warm air from your home to enter the chimney flue so that your fire isn’t combating the freezing cold air inside your chimney.

Tip 2: Preheat your flue.

If you don’t like to keep your damper open to lose warm air from your home, you also can preheat your flue manually. To do so, tightly roll newspapers into two or three batons. Light the end of one of the batons, and hold it up near your damper. Continue this process until you feel the warm air and see the smoke from the newspapers flowing upward into the chimney.

Tip 3: Build a hot, efficient fire.

A hot, efficient fire will warm your chimney faster, lowering your risk of having smoke flow backward. Start by leaving a bed of ashes — 1 to 2 inches will do — at the bottom of your firebox. This will insulate the fire and help it to burner hotter faster. Make sure you are using dry seasoned firewood to create the hot fire your fireplace needs to burn as efficiently as possible and warm the chimney quickly.

Tip 4: Build an upside down fire.

An upside down fire is an easy way to preheat your flue before your fire starts bellowing a lot of smoke. As the name suggest, an upside down fire is built in the reverse order one usually builds a fire: The largest logs are placed on the bottom in one direction, with another layer on top; slightly smaller logs go on the next layer; the kindling goes at the top, and your newspaper or fire starter tops the entire stack of wood. When you light the newspaper at the top, it will warm the chimney to correct the draft, and the larger pieces of wood below it will ignite in a full fire.

If you follow all of these tips and your fireplace continues to smoke, call Your Chimney Sweep. You may have something else affecting your draft, and our chimney experts will help you to diagnose and correct your drafting problem.