Hiring a Chimney Sweeper: Decisive Factors to Remember

When hiring chimney sweepers, it's important to note that not all chimney sweepers are the same. You'll find companies that are cheap, some that use the best chimney sweeping tools (and some that don't) and you'll find some that charge an arm and a leg. The key, is finding a quality chimney sweeper that you feel comfortable with and does a job that is up to or exceed your expectations. To do this, we've listed the top factors to keep in mind when looking to hire a chimney sweeper.

Pro Tip:

Ask for Chimney Sweeper Referrals

One of the first few places to start when you're looking to hire chimney sweepers is your friends, neighbors and co-workers. You'll want to ask them if they know of a chimney sweeping company that they have hired before that they would recommend or refer.

If you have a specific issue with your chimneys, like cracked / spalling bricks, you can ask for referrals of chimney sweeping companies that they know of that have helped them with their cracked / spalling bricks or whatever other issue you are having (ie. creosote, rotting wood, cracks in the chimney flue, damaged mortar, etc.)

Pro Tip:

Reviews of Chimney Sweepers

After checking out references that you received for chimney sweepers, you'll want to check online reviews. You should be able to find online reviews for just about any chimney sweeper in your local area. This can very helpful, but can also be overwhelming and misleading at times. Here are a few guidelines to help you as you sift through all of the reviews:

An overwhelmingly positive or negative review of a chimney sweeper could be a sign of a fake review- so take that into considerations.

Make a special note of chimney sweepers that have received a great deal of reviews. A lot of reviews combined with 4.5 to 5 stars is a big sign that the chimney sweeping company got those legitimately.

Keep an eye out for reviews that compare their experience with other chimney sweepers. Giving these details adds validity to the reviewer who has actually hired a local chimney sweeper.

Here are a few examples of valid reviews of chimney sweepers:

"Very polite and professional crew who did tell us about some problems we had with the chimney but told me their costs to fix them while I called our HOA to see if the chimney was covered. No hard sells. Clean work, no dirt or dust left behind. Even went back up on the roof to take pictures for our HOA to show what damages they were describing. "

"We live in a remote area where many service pros don't want to come to provide their services. Rusty was glad to come and do the job for us. Very friendly, professional and knowledgeable. Definitely recommend."

"Great Communication,. They were prompt to help me get the inspection I needed. Sam did a great job explaining the possible dangers of the repairs needed, and why it was important to address the issues. I had the estimate, and report within a day. Highly recommend any realtor who needs a chimney inspection for their request for repairs call Jonathan and his team."

Pro Tip:

Chimney Sweeper References

Once you have gathered referrals and checked online reviews of the chimney sweeping companies, you want to call the company directly and ask them for at least 2 recent references. These should be from customers they have completed work for within the past month. Also, you can ask for references for specific issues like creosote, cracked / spalling bricks, rotting wood, damaged mortar, cracks in the chimney flue or just general chimney issues. Here are some questions you could ask the chimney sweepers' references:

What work did the chimney sweeper do for you? A small chimney issue or big chimney issue will give you insight as to the scale of the project. Was it for rotting wood, cracks in the chimney flue, creosote, damaged mortar, cracked / spalling bricks or just general chimney issues?

Did the chimney sweeper provide a contract with details of the work? Did they provide what methods will be used, possible issues, etc.

How was the staff that completed the chimney sweeping work? Professional, clean, friendly? Ask about the things that you care about.

Was the chimney sweeping work completed per the agreed upon budget?

How were the chimney sweepers results? Did they meet or exceed your expectations?

Would you hire the chimney sweeper again?

Pro Tip:

Pro Tip:

Always make sure the chimney sweeping company is using the proper tools and a specialized chimney sweeping software that is custom to the industry. Servgrow is a popular software among chimney sweeping companies.

Licensed and Insured Chimney Sweeping Company

When hiring a chimney sweeper, that last think you want to do is hire one that is not a legitimate business and has no license and insurance. Just because you know that chimney sweeping companies should be licensed, bonded and insured, don't take this for granted.

Chimney Sweepers that do not have a license will most likely try to cut corners because they understand that they are not as accountable for their work. In fact, it's illegal for them to operate without a license.

Professional chimney sweeping companies will have no problem showing you all the necessary documents, licenses and insurance to operate their business.

Final Notes on Hiring a Chimney Sweeper

Hiring a chimney sweeper can be challenging at first, but using these tips above should get you started in the right direction. And keep in mind that it could take a couple different chimney sweepers that you hire before finding that perfect one- and when you find that perfect one, don't let them go!

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Hiring a Chimney Sweeper: Decisive Factors to Remember

Pro Tip:

Ask for Chimney Sweeper Referrals

Pro Tip:

Reviews of Chimney Sweepers

Pro Tip:

Chimney Sweeper References

Pro Tip:

Pro Tip:

Licensed and Insured Chimney Sweeping Company

Final Notes on Hiring a Chimney Sweeper

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