WISSAHICKON VALLEY SWEEP

This company is as good as it gets. We have used them 4 to 5 times over the last 12 years. They are prompt, professional and knowledgeable. They always arrive within minutes of the scheduled appointment. They are honest - when one company gave us an estimate of 1600, they came with an estimate of 150.00. They operate under the ideal of leaving a place cleaner than they found it - and they meet that standard. They are respectful. They are knowledgeable and are able to explain to us what they did and why. In 26 years of living in this home and calling service companies here, they are by far the best company with whom we have interacted - they are a 10 star, gold seal company. I only wish they did plumbing and heating as well. We recommend them without hesitation to anyone who needs their chimney cleaned or serviced.

unknown

Wissahickon Valley provided us with highly professional, top-notch friendly service.  This company is easy to work with, takes pride in their work, and worked with us to maintain a reasonable price.  The workmen were very knowledgeable and skilled, and were very considerate in trying to protect the cleanliness of our home.  The work was expertly performed, and they cleaned up afterwards even better than they found it.  Thank you for an excellent job!

For the detail of work and the careful time spent sweeping the chimney and vac the stove, the cost was fair and of good value.  The owner inspected from the roof and from the ground.  He arrived on-time and maintained a friendly and professional  demeanor with my family.  The entire time he was making sure we were safe as we watched his work.  He was patient with our questions.  He used tarps inside and kept care to keep our house clean.  I would recommend this company to anyone who is looking for a reasonable and honest chimney sweep.

unknown

Cleaned and inspected our chimney.  They easily could have taken me over
and said we needed a new liner but they said for its age, it is in
remarkable shape.  Showed me where the flue needed to be repaired and
explained how they would do it in addition to replacing a rusty door
where the ash bin is.  It no longer closed and could easily cause a
fire.  Also, since replacing the corroded pipe from the heater would cut
into work that my Dad had done when he finished the basement, they went
out of their way to preserve his work by coming up with an alternate
effective solution to the repair.  I am very pleased with their work. 
Their price was reasonable.  They were professional, personable and hard
workers.  I also like the fact that it's a family business. 

unknown

Technicians were respectful of wood flooring/carpets and wore booties.  They arrived at the scheduled time and completed the work with no problems. They explained how the work would be completed and were right on with the estimated time to complete the repair.  I had a gas fireplace installed in the past by Wissahickon and would not hesitate to call them for any fireplace concerns.  I have already scheduled some outdoor work to be completed in the Spring. I highly recommend Bill and his sons!

unknown

Shaughn and Joe showed up right on time, totally protected our house from any dust or dirt (including booties & tarps all the way from the front door to the fireplace), did a thorough cleaning, and provided estimates for some needed repairs, which we'll be having them come back for in the spring.
Thanks!

fine

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I read some good reviews about this company, long before I joined Angie's List. I needed two primary things done: first, I wanted my chimney cleaned and second, I wanted the chimney wash (think that's the name - that cement cap on top to shed water) repaired. I spoke to the owner on the phone before making the appointment. I knew my wash was badly deteriorated and clearly told him that was the primary reason for the service call. And while they're here, let's clean the chimney.

The owner's son arrived along with another worker. He went up on the roof, took pictures, and confirmed the wash needed repair. He told me that he did not have any material to fix it with, in spite of my mentioning to him that it was not only the primary purpose of the service call, but that I told the owner this on the phone.

I had him do the chimney cleaning, which included completely cleaning the fireplace. Work there was very good, though I can only view what was done to the fireplace in my living room. I asked about a chimney cap and the owner's son left for me a couple of color brochures, gave me a very rough cost estimate, and told me that he was call me back within a day with the final cost.

Needless to say, I never, ever hear from him again. I called them to fix my chimney wash and they came completely unprepared. I told them that I definitely wanted a chimney cap and the wash repaired, and they were totally unresponsive.

I will never call this company again and suggest fellow Angie's List members follow suit. Looking over the reviews for this company, I can see that I am not alone in the dissatisfaction.

Our fireplace burns from October through early Spring, all day every day.  I can never remember the last time I had the chimney swept, but had recently noticed the surface of the chimney on the interior of the house to be unusually hot and made an appointment with Wissahickon Valley Sweep. (A few days before the scheduled date of our cleaning, roofers informed us we had quite a bit of creosote on the roof!)  Wissahickon Valley Sweep's brothers, Joe and Sean, arrived punctually on the scheduled day.  How can you not immediately love a man who puts BOOTIES on over his work boots before entering your home!?  Especially after you've just had your rugs cleaned. Joe shined his spotlight up the chimney and confirmed that we had "won the prize for the dirtiest chimney of the day".  Tarps were strategically placed and the bootied brothers went to work, informing us that normally a sweep would take one and a half hours, ours would take two.  I returned an hour and a half later and they were gone.  Had they ever been here?  Fireplace and surrounding areas were spotless. My dining table was shining and there was no sign of residual fallout the next day.  Had they dusted before they left?!  My fireplace is burning much cleaner now and I don't seem to be using as much wood.
Joe and Sean are young, honest, hardworking gentlemen. Joe is newly engaged and she is one lucky woman!  I HIGHLY recommend Wissahickon Valley Sweep and look forward to having them back in the Spring for the cleaning of another less used chimney, whether it needs it or not!  Dos:  be sure to remove all ashes and tools from fireplace prior to their arrival; have chimney cleaned at least every two years.  Don'ts: don't call anyone else.  Thanks, Wissahickon Valley Sweep!

We LOVE our pellet stove.

They came out and performed sweeps on 2 chimneys.  They did a very nice job.  The only small issue I had was that I had requested pricing on some additional work from them and it took 6 weeks to get that but I would use again.

The worker was REALLY friendly.  He even looked over an exhaust pipe I replaced that goes from the Heater to the chimney and said the tape I used and how I replaced it looked fine.  If I ever need chimney work, WISSAHICKON VALLEY SWEEP is who I will call.

Great job!  Punctual, professional, quick and clean. Over the years we've tried to use our chimney many times, and often had smoke curling back into the house, but not always. We tried many different arrangements with the fire to fix this and finally gave up and stopped using it for several years. Then we got the bug again and tried it again this winter and smoked up the house. Argh.
We decided even if we didn't use it again we'd need to get it inspected and cleaned.
We got Wissahickon Sweeps out and they did a great job. Even though I'd had someone else out in the past for cleanings and had discussed the trouble with the fireplace, this was the first time someone showed and explained to me the root of the trouble - the smoke chamber that was originally constructed is dramatically undersized. Also they were able to give me a good idea of the condition of the 100 year old terra cotta liner we have.
Really liked these guys and the job they did. Definitely recommend them highly!
And the fireplace trouble? We ended up deciding to put in ventless gas logs, sized properly for our fireplace and are very happy with them.

Recently, we purchased a used house with a fireplace and fireplace insert. Before lighting a fire, I wanted to have the system completely inspected, and cleaned if necessary. Bill, the owner, scheduled a prompt visit, inspected the fireplace, insert, chimney, and ducting/connections from the furnace to the chimney. He explained to me how everything worked, provided a recommendation for a chimney cap immediately, and talked about the lifetime/potential failure of all of the components. They cleaned the chimney and left the insert sparkling clean. They were very careful to protect floors, carpet, and hearth.

Bill came out to the house to discuss repair work to the exisiting chimney and also possible purchase of new gas fireplace insert. He was very professional and knowledgeable and took his time answering any questions and providing suggestions.
After his inspection of the chimney, several days later he provided a estimate of $2963 for the repair of the chimney and replacement of the crown and water repellant treatment.
We agreed to the work, Bill's crew came to the house and after a re-inspection, Bill gave us a new quote for 4955.60 because he said the chimney needed more repair than originally estimated, this estimate called for the replacement/rebuilding of the chimney and water repellant application and sealing.
We agreed to this new estimate.
Over the next week of work, Bill and his team were very professional, they were organized, layed tarps over areas of the lawn and roof area for protection. They answered any questions and told us how work would progress and what they were doing.
On the day that they had completed the actual reconstruction of the chimney, Bill informed me that the last work that need to be done was the application of a sealant material to the flashing areas of the chimney, he said he did not have the sealant material but he had ordered it and once it was in, they would return to apply it.
This was the first week in June.
A week later, after they had not returned, we contacted Bill by phone to inquire on the status. We did not receive a response.
Every few weeks we would contact Bill to see when the work would be completed. We were told that the air temperature could not be too hot for the sealant application and that when it cooled off, they would be able to finish the work.
Over two months after the work started, on August 13th,  we emailed Bill for an update, and he replied that it was good weather that week and thay would be out to finish and he would email us the night before they were coming. No email was received and the work was not finished,
On August 23rd, I called Bill and left a message, telling him that I expected a call from him to discuss the progress. He did not return my call, he instead emailed us on the 27th of August, explaining that two of his people were injured and that because of this, he was behind schedule. He stated that Wednesday of that week, the 29th of August, was a good weather day and that he would be out to finish the flashing work. They did not come that Wednesday.
Over 3 months since the chimney was rebuilt and full payment was received,
it is now early September, we have received no update and the work is not completed.
***In fairness to Bill, the vast majority of the project was completed by early June, and the chimney itself looks very, very good,
but the work is not complete and the lack of communication and follow-up has been very disappointing.
The rating page requires a response as to whether we would use this contractor again, we would but will not until this project is completed. We have other masonry/fireplace work and still want the new fireplace as well, but we are unsure based on this experience if Wissahickon Valley Sweep will be considered for any future needs.

*****************UPDATE***********
several days after posting the initial report, the work was completed, the sealant was applied. The chimney work was very good.

Bill is terrific. He came out for an estimate and really took a lot of time to explain everything. I needed a chimney cap but had an interest in getting a gas insert. Bill was not pushy and simply told me the options. We decided to go ahead with the all the work, including the gas fireplace insert. Bill promised to have it done before Christmas and we scheduled for the day before Christmas Eve. Drop cloths were used in the house on the day of installation and Bill took his time to get the insert set perfectly. We had a problem with a large gap between the top of the insert and the firebox that was not anticipated, but Bill and his crew took the time to go out and buy some bricks and raise up the insert.  Overall, we are very pleased with Wissahickon Valley Sweep and our neighbor just used the company for chimney capping and she intends to get an insert, too, because she likes ours so much.

He was very good. The owner is Bill Thornton and I think it was his son Joe who came out here. He gave us some choices of what we could do to eliminate the smoke problem that we are having. He took a chimney cap off and suggested that we try it as it is and see if the problem persists. He said that the cap was out of proportion to what it should be and that there was smoke on that and it could have been the problem. He took that off and said that we will see what happens next. He gave us good choices down the line but he wasn't selling anything but was telling us what we needed to do. He is a very earnest young man and certainly knew what he was doing. He certainly knew his chimneys. I had called in November around Thanksgiving and he came in today but I knew that he was busy.

They were prompt, courteous and friendly. Drop cloths were used, and there was absolutely no mess. The whole thing took less than an hour. They gave suggestions on how to keep the fireplace safe and how often it should be cleaned. We were very pleased!