Chimney sweep costs can be dramatically affected by the type of chimney, its location, and how dirty it is.
What to Know Before Hiring a Chimney Sweep
Hear that? It’s the calming crackle of a safe fireplace.
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Schedule a CSIA-certified chimney inspection and cleaning every one to two years, so your fireplace stays safe and you catch issues early.
Costs range from $130 to $380 for chimney sweep services, averaging $250, so you can budget for routine inspections without surprises.
Chimney sweep scammers exist, so protect your home by requesting a written scope, clear pricing, and inspection findings you can see.
Hiring a local chimney sweep professional keeps your home safe from fire hazards, providing reliable inspection and cleaning that protect your household year after year.
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There’s nothing quite as relaxing as snuggling up in front of a warm fire on a cold winter night. But without proper care, your cozy fireplace and picturesque chimney can pose a significant risk to your household. Hiring a chimney sweep to service your fireplace can protect your house. Unfortunately, chimney sweep scammers do exist.
The good news is that there are ways to tell a potential scammer from a reputable professional. Here’s what you need to know before hiring a chimney sweep.
Why Hire a Chimney Sweep?
Keeping your chimney and fireplaces clean and in good working order isn’t just important for their performance—it’s also an invaluable safety measure. As many as 27,000 house fires are caused each year by malfunctioning or improperly maintained chimneys and fireplaces.
There are some fireplace maintenance best practices you should adopt early on, such as ensuring that you routinely clean and dust all accessible areas, that you maintain your chimney crown to help keep your chimney free of airborne debris, and that you only burn the appropriate materials for your particular system.
But it doesn’t end there. To maximize performance and minimize the risk of both costly repairs and potential fire hazards, you should have your fireplace routinely inspected and serviced by a professional chimney sweep, preferably one who has been certified by the Chimney Sweep Institute of America (CSIA). Ideally, you’ll order a professional inspection and cleaning every one to two years.
5 Questions to Ask a Chimney Sweep
Photo: gabort / Adobe Stock
Here are five questions you can ask a chimney sweep before hiring them to care for your fireplace:
How long have you been in business?
Can you offer up-to-date references?
Does your company have unresolved complaints?
Does your company carry valid business liability insurance?
Can you ensure that a CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep will be on the job site?
Be Wary of Chimney Sweep Scams
Chimney Video Scanning
A good chimney pro should offer video scanning of your chimney as part of the service. Video allows you to see what they are seeing, so when they tell you there is a problem, you can rest assured they are being truthful.
Know Typical Chimney Sweep Costs
It’s also important to be wary of inflated chimney repair prices, not only because that can cause you to be cheated out of your hard-earned money but also because it is a tell-tale sign of someone not to be trusted with the safety of your home. Hiring a chimney sweep costs between $130 and $380 depending on the level of inspection and additional repair work. Most homeowners pay an average of $250 for a chimney sweep service.
Chimney sweeps help keep your home safe from fireplace hazards, which is why it’s important to find a pro who invests in the proper tools, equipment and training.
Chimney sweeping services reviews from real Angi homeowners in Columbus, OH
5.0★ avg. • 15 total reviews
- Doug C.
Best cleaning I've had at my property
- Justin W.
Ace Fireplace Services' chimney sweep service is truly exceptional. They used advanced technology to ensure a thorough cleaning process, and my chimney has never looked better. I highly recommend their services.
Ace Fireplace Services - Bobby G.
This company went above and beyond with their work, chimney sweeps are usually pretty messy, but the clean up was spot on.!! Josh explained every thing that he was doing, and the things that he was checking to make sure the chimney was safe for me and my family. He was very professional,...
Supreme brick & chimney - Lisa M.
Mary cleaning service does an amazing job cleaning my home. They go over and beyond the cleaning services that I have had in the past. They are very punctual and thorough with cleaning my home, I’m extremely happy with the service they provide and I highly recommend them.
- Lori C.
It was a good experience. During the call, we ran through a series of questions to determine what was in my chimney. We determined it was likely just a bird or a mouse. Thankfully the animal couldn't get into the house because the flute was shut. I was able to wait until Monday for them to...
Critter Control of Columbus - Fordham.
Outstanding service. Dick Neff was prompt in estimating and added the chimney work overnight, even though it required use of a lift and color matching stucco. The plaster and stucco workers were courteous, careful, extremely competent in their craft, and cleaned up.
George F Neff & Co. Plaster & Stucco - Rick B.
We had to replace rotten wood on both buildings and shingle the sides of our dormer walls on the main building. Prior to replacing the roofs we had to tear down a deteriorating chimney to the roofline and Muth and Co worked with our hired chimney vendor to complete the project. While...
Muth & Company Roofing - Martha K.
This was my first time having someone come into my home to clean. Sandra with Sparklin' Kleen was great. She called me back promptly, explained her services and her fees. She spent 7 1/2 hours cleaning, scrubbing, washing, sweeping, etc...my house has never been so clean, especially the...
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