I feel any chimney being used regularly should at least be inspected once a year, an oil chimeny should be cleaned once a year, gas chimenys rarely have any kind of buildup but should still be inspected annualy to make sure nothing is blocking the exhaust passage or if there is any cracking or shifting of the ceramic liner sections. In a nut shell, if you're missing ceramic sections in your chimney, you should have that chimney relined, slight chipping of the flu lining called spalling is common mostly on oil furnace chimneys but can happen to any chimney, it is more common on oil furnaces due to the biproducts of combustion sulfer /condensation which creates sulfuric acid that breaks down the ceramic over time, these pieces fall to the base of the chimney and can block the exhaust passage which can result in a puff back. These caps typically sell for around 110 - 150 installed Ĭaps, there are litterally dozens of different sizes and shapes that are used, the most common for a fireplace is 8x 12 and 13 x 13 and if you want it to last it should be crafted of stainless material. There is enough legitimate work out there, sadly though I find the business is beat up due to scammers and thieves and a lot of the people that actually need the service do not get it done out of fear they will be ripped off and that is unfortunate but it is a fact. Just for the record, just because someone is not charging you 200- 250 for a fireplace or furnace flu sweep, does not mean they are trying to rip you off somewhere down the line, I have been in some homes where I was there to do a sweep, only to find out by looking inside that the chimney didn't even need a cleaning that season, an honest guy will not be afraid to lose the sweep for now and have you as a customer for years when you actually do need the cleaning. Sometimes even a basic digital camera can show you all you need to know, but nothing beats your own eyes. If that isn't possible, ask the sweep if he has a chim scan, a device capable of letting you see the inside of the chimney and flu or the areas in question. I have been in the chimney sweep business for over 16 years and have never charged anyone 200- 250 for a basic fireplace sweep ,Ī chimney cap is always good to have and as far as a new liner, as mentioned, if you could get to the roof, or to the top of the chimney to take a peak that is probably your best bet in determining the condition yourself. I mean depending on how often a homeowner has his/her chimney serviced, it is usually no more than a 20 minute job, unless there is heavy 3rd stage glaze buildup and then, that isn't the same as a sweep, they will have to treat that particular problem with chemicals and then strip the flu and smokechamber with a wire wheel connected to a drill and 5 foot rods, Ummm basically. That is a little steep, don't you think ?
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