Having your chimney cleaned and inspected once a year can help you prevent unnecessary chimney fires and carbon monoxide poisoning. It can also prevent large repair bills or chimney collapses, because the damage will be detected much sooner.

It may seem like anyone can clean and inspect a chimney, but it reality, this job is better left to a professional chimney sweep. They have seen thousands of chimneys and even more scenarios that you or someone who isn’t certified has seen.

Here are 5 things to look for when hiring a chimney sweep:

Length of time they have been in business

Uncertified chimney sweeps are not usually in business for too long or they only open up for business when the weather cools down. These chimney sweeps will do a quick cleaning and maybe an even quicker inspection, before telling you that everything is fine with your chimney. Professional and certified chimney sweeps will be available year long and they will spend a lot more time, not only cleaning, but inspecting your chimney.

References

Any reputable certified chimney sweep should be able to provide numerous references for you to review. After all, they take pride in their work and they understand that a lot of their business comes from word of mouth and repeat customers.

Check the Better Business Bureau

One of the best places to look when considering hiring a chimney sweep is the Better Business Bureau. They will have a list of any complaints that have been filed about the business as will any city or state consumer protection agency.

Insurance

Any reputable chimney sweep will carry liability insurance that will cover any damage that they do to your home or chimney. No professional chimney sweep wants to damage anything, but they do understand that accidents happen and they want to be covered if something does occur.

Are they CSIA Certified?

Every professional chimney sweep should be CSIA Certified, so any company that you plan on working with should ensure that the person working at your home has that certification. It is easy for anyone to claim that they are certified, so make sure that you do your research to make sure that they have the credentials that they claim to have.

Finding a CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep in the Main Line Region

If you ask the right questions, you shouldn’t have too much trouble determining who is certified and who is a fly by night chimney sweep. You will want to make sure that you hire the best one because your family and your home will be depending on them to keep your chimney safe and ready for use. Give us a call at 610-626-2439 to schedule an appointment with one of our CSIA Certified chimney sweeps along the Main Line.