Chimney Sweeps & Inspections Glencoe, IL

The Value of Chimney Sweeping

Cleaning a chimney requires specialized scrubbers, brushes, and HEPA-filtered vacuums to remove dangerous creosote and draft-blocking debris.

Creosote

Creosote is a highly flammable substance that forms within the chimney flue as smoke condenses. It can also build up on the chimney cap, inside the smoke chamber, on the fireplace damper, and on the surfaces of the firebox. We remove creosote from all these places.

The majority of the chimney fires reported in Glencoe, IL, and other Cook County, IL, communities are started by creosote. Chimney fires can be large or small; sometimes, homeowners don’t even notice them. Here are three key signs to watch for:

• A rumbling sound like that of a distant train
• Strange clicking and tapping noises
• Particularly dark and voluminous smoke is leaving either end of the chimney

Should you encounter these signs, call 911 immediately and evacuate people and pets from the house. Do not attempt to put out a chimney fire on your own!

Debris

Chimney sweeping also removes debris from nearby trees and the nests that certain small animals like to build in chimney flues. This debris can narrow the drafting passage, allowing smoke and deadly carbon monoxide to enter the room.

Having all this junk cleaned out will not only help your fireplace to draft more efficiently, but it will also reduce the odors that accumulate in the chimney and could end up invading your home.

Chimney Inspections Glencoe, IL

Lindemann offers all chimney inspection levels as outlined by the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).

The first level is a basic safety inspection that should be scheduled annually. It covers every accessible part and component of your chimney and fireplace system, from the chimney cap, crown, and masonry to the liner, damper, and firebox.

More-involved inspections are called for in certain circumstances:

• When you’re selling your home
• When damage is suspected after a chimney fire, weather event, or other occurrence
• When you're relining the chimney, adding a new heating appliance to it, or making some other type of modification
• When known significant damage requires the removal of parts of the chimney and nearby materials of the home, to understand the problem fully

All our chimney inspections can include a video camera that lets us see into areas that are normally hidden from view.

Reviewing the Inspection Report

Following the inspection, you’ll see our report that shows what we found and what we recommend be done about it. Before any work starts, you'll know what it entails, how long it will take, and how much it will cost.