The US Consumer Product Safety Commission-a giant organization with a mission to protect us from products or ourselves- conducts studies on household consumer products including fireplaces. Their most recent study from 2020 estimated that almost 16,000 structural fires happen annually in the US from chimney fires. That doesn’t account for all the chimney fires that occur and don’t cause damage to the home. The good news is, in our experience, almost all of the cases we’ve seen have been preventable. The 3 main contributors, from our observation, are:

• Infrequent cleaning/inspection
• Poor burning habits
• Poor fuel quality

All things that you have control of! As wood burning experts and chimney professionals we are uniquely suited to giving you holistic recommendations instead of just treating the symptoms.

A chimney cleaning and a Level 1 inspection is recommended at a minimum of once annually. This applies to fireplaces or any appliance with a chimney, like a wood stove or insert. Our CSIA certified technicians will give you feedback on your burning habits and fuel quality based on their observations during the visit. While they don’t wear top hats, like in the old days, they do still occasionally get some soot on them:) Rest assured, our modern equipment ensures that your home will be as clean after we are finished as when we arrived.

A Level 2 inspection is required when:

• There is a real estate sale or transfer of property
• A Level 1 inspection indicates there is a need
• The appliance use is being changed. Ex. putting a gas log in your fireplace.
• After an operating malfunction, ex. chimney fire, or external event, like a lighting strike.
• A good practice is to have a Level 2 every 5 years if none of the above conditions are met.

Expect our technicians to be in your attic, up on your roof and possibly in your basement or crawl space for a Level 2.

A Level 3 inspection is required when:

• A Level 2 indicates there is a need
• When an incident has caused damage to the building or chimney.

Most times these will involve a general contractor to assist in the investigation process