Chimney sweep work planned around your fireplace in Hollywood

Access points on a factory-built chimney

Some factory-built chimneys run through a framed enclosure on an outside wall. Listed chimney instructions describe an access door near a tee fitting in that enclosure, used for cleaning. Where one exists, it lets debris be removed from the base of the flue.

Tell us if you have seen a small panel on the enclosure or inside a closet near the fireplace. We open it only as the manual describes and close it as we found it. If no access was provided, cleaning follows the route the manual allows.

Cleaning a worn lining without making it worse

Some linings are sound, and some are cracked, flaking or loose at the joints. Brushing a weak lining with the same force as a sound one can break more of it. We adjust the tools and the pressure once we see the surface.

If the lining is too fragile to clean fully, we stop and tell you. The part that was cleaned and the part that was not are both written down. The next decision is then about the lining, not about another sweep.

Cleaning the flue after an animal has left

Once an animal has gone and the flue can be worked on, what it left behind still needs removing. Nest material, droppings and debris can block the passage and hold odor. They are also combustible, so they should not be left for the next fire to find.

We bag the material with care, keeping it contained in the firebox, and brush the flue and smoke shelf clear. If the entry point is still open, we note it so the problem does not repeat. The written record lists what was removed and what the top needs.

Questions to settle before the sweep is approved

A good estimate should answer a few questions before any brushing starts. Ask these if the answers are not already clear.

If an answer is vague, ask again. We would rather slow down at the start than surprise you at the end. Clear answers now also make the written record easier to read later.

• Which flues and openings are included
• Whether the top or the bottom will be the access point
• What happens if a glazed coating or a blockage is found
• Which findings would be priced separately