Chimney Sweep Basics

Anyone who regularly uses a chimney will need to hire a chimney sweep once a year.  This is very important to ensure that the chimney keeps harmful gases out of your home.  Once you find a great chimney sweep, you should stick with them.  Here are a few of the basics for finding one.

You will undoubtedly be concerned about how much it costs to have a chimney cleaned.  Although price is important, it is definitely not the only thing you should go by.  As a matter of fact, you should be careful of chimney sweeps who offer prices well below what their competitors offer.

As with hiring any type of professional, you should also give some thought as to how much experience the chimney sweep has.  Ideally, you will choose one that has been established for a while.

You can start your search for a chimney sweep using your local phone book or ads you see in the newspaper, or hear on the TV or radio.  After you have located a few companies, you should check their website if they have one.  The best companies have testimonials from other clients you can read.  However, you will also want to search for unbiased opinions on other websites.

One of the best ways to find a reliable chimney sweep is to rely on the experience of other people you know.  Maybe one of your neighbors has a certain person that he or she uses on a regular basis.  You should not have much of a problem relying on the experience of people you personally know and trust.

Another good way to find a reliable chimney sweep is to check your local BBB.  Their website will list useful information such as ratings and reviews as well as any complaints that have been made in the past about the company.  More importantly, you will also get contact information for companies you are thinking about using.

In most cases, you will want to hire a company that is a member of one of a few important associations or organizations.  Two of these include the Chimney Safety Institute of America and the National Chimney Sweep Guild.

Whatever you do, always make sure you ask your chimney sweep for proof of insurance before you hire him to clean your chimney and fireplace.  If an accident occurs and the worker was uninsured, then you may be held liable for any damages.