Ropes Training – Raising the Standard of Safety

July 7, 2019 | A Day in the Life

Long time, no updates! We have made it a top priority this year to attend as many hands on training classes as possible to stay at the top of the industry. One of the most important classes we have attended so far this Summer is ropes training and safety. Jim Brewer is a legend in the chimney sweep industry and our team recently made the visit to train with him at the Fire Service & Codes Enforcement Academy in Bell Buckle, Tennessee. The two day class went over basic safety precautions, proper ways to protect a clients roof while using ropes, knots, and most importantly hands on training at the Academy. The reality of our industry is that most sweeps are inspecting a home or performing a repair alone. Using the old style OSHA safety harness, if you fall off a roof alone you have no way to self rescue … Continued

International Meeting of the Chimney Sweeps – Val Vigezzo Italy 2019

April 8, 2019 | A Day in the Life

If you just happen to be in Italy between August 30th and September 2nd, don’t miss the International Meeting of the Sweeps! Chimney sweeps from around the World meet in the Vigezzo Valley to celebrate the past history and future of our profession. Although chimney sweeps have been around for centuries, this will be the 38th meeting in the Valley of the Chimney Sweep. Expect to see over one thousand sweeps throughout the meeting, some performing reenactments with historic tools! If you do find your way to Italy this time of year, make sure to say hi to Mike the Chimney Guy 🙂

Inspection of the Week – Rainy Season Water Intrusion

April 8, 2019 | A Day in the Life

April showers might bring May flowers but it also can bring water into your home. In one of my recent inspections I found a large amount of water entering a chimney chase from just a small area right next to the flashing. First, take a look at what the area looked like from the exterior: First thought, not much to see right? Now let us take a look inside of the chimney chase.. This chimney inspection potentially saved the client thousands of dollars in potential repairs. Know what and where to look is part of a chimney sweep’s profession so always hire a CSIA Certified Sweep whenever you purchase a home.

The Disappearing Chimney Sweep

March 17, 2019 | A Day in the Life

Here is an interesting read from the New York Times about the lack of chimney sweeps in Paris. This is a common concern not only in the US, but throughout the world. If you are interested in becoming a chimney sweep, feel free to reach out and I can help steer you in the right direction. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/18/lens/the-disappearing-chimney-sweeps-of-paris.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share

When you can’t sweep a chimney

January 22, 2019 | A Day in the Life

I occasionally come across situations where a chimney should not be swept. Sometimes the deterioration is so bad that sweeping a chimney could actually cause a collapse of the system and only make matters much worse. Here are some good examples: A chimney is no longer safe, the customer is aware, but wants to use the system anyway – I will not sweep that system because first, I want the customer to realize the severity of the situation and that they are putting their life in danger. Two is liability. Let’s say, heaven forbid, a chimney fire occurs after I swept the system. Who becomes liable? You guessed it.. A chimney is no longer safe and the customer was unaware – While it is not a fun conversation, safety is my number one priority. This is when we go over options and hazards associated with the chimneys current condition. A … Continued

Inspection of the day – Stay away from the skylight!

January 21, 2019 | A Day in the Life

Sometimes having a chimney with deferred maintenance can cause some unexpected safety hazards. Realistically, the typical homeowner does not spend very much time, if any, on their roof looking for potential problems. Let take a look at the chimney below: Initial look.. The chimney is missing a flame arrestor, has some staining, and is in close proximity to a very large set of skylights. Now let’s take a closer look: This is not good! Large sections of stone are coming off of the chimney and falling onto the roof! The chimney is so close to the skylights that a stone could potentially fall through and cause severe harm to anyone inside. Another thing to factor in, the stones are damaging the roof below and could potentially cause water leaks. A combination of water intrusion and deferred maintenance caused this nightmare but it is something that could have easily been taken … Continued

The daily battle for a chimney sweep, staying clean

January 20, 2019 | A Day in the Life

Daily and Long-Term Hazards Staying safe is a constant concern for a chimney sweep. Not only are we on roofs, in attics, and crawl spaces, we also have to worry about the hazardous long-term effects of creosote to our bodies and prevent inhalation and interaction as much as possible. Creosote is a natural byproduct of combustion but it comes with a nasty side effect for humans with long-term exposure to it, cancer. Skin cancer, lung cancer, and testicular cancer are the most common for a chimney Sweep to content with. Skin cancer from constant cleaning and repairing systems covered in creosote and let’s not forget clothing. Lung cancer from inhaling creosote while sweeping a system or even after the service with soot floating around in the work vehicle. Testicular cancer you would think would be the strange one but take into consideration the amount of creosote that can get trapped … Continued

Inspection of the day – gas fireplace troubles

January 20, 2019 | A Day in the Life

With the addition of my home inspection background, I have seen a few occasions where after closing the sellers take what they can out of a house and even swap out the appliances! During my chimney inspection today, the same situation occurred and the sellers even took the decorative logs from the fireplace 😢. My best recommendation on that end would be to hire a home inspector that is very thorough and also uses a program called recall check where the serial numbers are stored for the appliances in case of a future recall. It can help not only in the event of a recall, but also if someone tries to take and swap out appliances. Onto the inspection. Issue one: The home was in the process of being set up for liquid propane but the fireplace had not been converted from natural gas for use with propane. If the … Continued

Carbon Monoxide

January 13, 2019 | A Day in the Life

Let’s talk about a very serious topic, Carbon Monoxide (CO). Carbon Monoxide is a odorless, tasteless, and colorless gas that can be deadly to humans and animals. Carbon Monoxide is a natural byproduct of combustion and one of the purposes of why things such as fireplaces, gas dryers, and furnaces have venting systems to get deadly gases out of the home. According to the CDC, each year more than 400 Americans die from unintentional Carbon Monoxide poisoning, 20,000 visit the emergency room, and over 4,000 are hospitalized. This a a staggering number that could be drastically reduced with the installation of Carbon Monoxide detectors in the home. Symptoms of Carbon Monoxide poisoning – Dizziness – Feeling weak – Headache – Upset stomach – Vomiting – Confusion – Chest pains Symptoms are often described as “flu-like” and sleeping or drunk individual are more likely to die from Carbon Monoxide poisoning … Continued

A day in the life – Can’t beat the views

January 12, 2019 | A Day in the Life

A Chimney Sweep in Jacksonville has a dirty and sometimes dangerous job but you really can’t beat the views. It can be easy to get caught up in the everyday hustle and bustle and forget what is truly important in life. Sometimes it is necessary to take five minutes and just sit back and reflect and in my opinion a rooftop can be the best place to do that (just don not fall off)! Sometimes the only unfortunate thing is the beautiful view on the way home is observed in exhaustion from a hard days work! View or no view it may sound corny, but I have been lucky enough to find something in life that I truly enjoy and I appreciate every single customer that has hired and trusted me to make sure their fireplace was safe for their family to use. My repeat customers will notice that during … Continued