Our Company Blog

A Creosote Free Chimney For Santa

In a few short weeks, St. Nick will head down your chimney to fill your stockings and place presents around your tree. To really be prepared this Christmas, make sure you have a creosote free chimney for Santa. A creosote-free chimney will help you to enjoy your holiday gathers safely!

A Safe Hearth for Christmas

In truth, a chimney does so much more than provide a mythical entryway into your home. As family and friends gather for holiday centerpieces, the hearth often serves as a gathering point. To safely burn a fire in your fireplace, you need a chimney that is free from dangerous creosote. That means scheduling a chimney sweeping and inspection before you light your hearth this holiday season.

Have Your Chimney Swept and Inspected

Each time a fire burns in your fireplace, smoke traveling up your chimney deposits creosote on the walls of your flue. When that creosote builds up to a measurable degree, it poses a hazard to your home and your family. That’s because creosote is highly flammable. If your fireplace flares to an extreme temperature, or if a burning ember finds its way up the chimney, it can ignite the creosote lining your chimney, causing a dangerous chimney fire that could spread to your home, threatening your family and your property. To prevent this dangerous situation, it’s recommended that fireplaces and chimneys be cleaned and inspected at least once per year.

Having your chimney swept before the holidays brings, even more, benefits than preventing a chimney fire. It also keeps your family safe by ensuring that your chimney is clear from any debris or nesting animals. This prevents smoke and carbon monoxide from entering your home. Finally, a clean chimney ensures that your chimney will draft well, that your fireplace will work efficiently and that your home won’t fall victim to foul smells traveling down the chimney.

Let Your Chimney Sweep Help You Get Ready for Santa!

You don’t want to let a dirty chimney destroy your holiday celebrations! Have your chimney cleared from creosote before your holiday gatherings and before Santa’s visits: You’ll help keep Santa’s suit clean, help keep your home and family safe from the possibility of a chimney fire and be able to safely enjoy a beautiful, roaring fire during your holiday gatherings. Let Your Chimney Sweep help you get your chimney ready for Santa Claus and ready for all of your holiday gatherings. Call today to schedule your annual chimney sweeping and inspection.

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.