Saratoga Springs · Utah County
Chimney Sweeping in Saratoga Springs, UT
A fair number of people who call us here do not need a sweep. Their chimney is a framed chase with a sealed gas appliance inside it, and there is no creosote to remove.
Work out what is actually in your chase first
Saratoga Springs is a young city. Most of its houses were built in an era when builders fitted sealed direct-vent gas fireplaces as standard, and the tall box on the roof is a timber chase with a coaxial vent pipe inside it rather than a masonry chimney with a flue. Nothing about that system produces creosote, and brushing it would be pointless at best.
What those units do need is a service, which is a different job with a different price, and we would rather tell you that on the phone than turn up and sell you something you do not need. If you have a gas fireplace with a glass front and a burner under ceramic logs, you are looking for servicing rather than sweeping.
The wood-burning minority
Some homes here do burn wood: a proportion of the larger builds specified a wood-burning fireplace, and there are stoves and inserts put in later by owners who wanted heat that works during an outage. Those need sweeping annually, and there is one important difference from an older masonry chimney.
The flue is a stainless or galvanized factory pipe, not clay tile. It has a thinner wall and a smooth bore, and a wire brush sized for masonry will score it. Scored metal holds deposit and corrodes faster, which is how a well-meant sweep shortens the life of a flue. We use poly brushes matched to the pipe diameter and we check the sections and joints while we are in there, because on a factory system the joints are as important as the surface.
What we look at while the appliance is open
The chase cover and storm collar, because on this style of chimney they are what keeps water out of the framing. The termination and its screen. Clearance to combustibles inside the chase, which is the defect we find most often in houses of this age and which no homeowner can see. And the firebox itself, panels, glass and gasket, since we are already there.
If we find nothing, we will tell you nothing is wrong. A clean report is a legitimate outcome and we write plenty of them.
Questions
Chimney Sweep in Saratoga Springs — common questions
How do I know whether I have a wood or gas fireplace?
If there is a fixed glass front, a gas control or switch, and logs that never turn to ash, it is gas. If you can open it up, put wood in and there is a damper handle, it is wood-burning. Send us a photograph if you are unsure and we will tell you which service you need before booking anything.
The house is only a few years old. Does the chimney need sweeping yet?
If you have burned wood in it, yes, on the same annual cycle as any other flue. Age of the house does not slow creosote down. If it is gas and untouched since the builder installed it, what it needs is its first service, and those first services are where we most often find installation shortcuts.
Can you sweep a stainless liner without damaging it?
Yes, with the right brush. Metal flues are swept with poly or soft-bristle heads sized to the exact diameter rather than steel brushes intended for clay tile. Steel on stainless leaves scoring that catches deposit and starts corrosion, so the tool matters more here than it does on an old masonry chimney.
We have a fire pit and an outdoor fireplace on the patio. Do those need attention?
An outdoor wood-burning fireplace with a flue does benefit from a clean and a look at the structure, particularly after a couple of exposed winters. Open fire pits do not have a flue and are not really in this category, though we are happy to say so rather than invent a service for them.
Also in Saratoga Springs
Our other services here
Inspection Chimney Repair Fireplace Repair Installation Gas Fireplace Caps & Dampers Dryer Vents All Saratoga Springs services
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