Have you recently moved into a home with a fireplace? The Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA), the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA), and other national fire safety organizations all recommend that you should schedule a professional chimney sweeping and inspection at least once every year. For new fireplace owners, hiring a chimney sweep for the first time can be a challenging task. How do you know you are choosing the best chimney sweep? Ashbusters would like to share with you some tips from the CSIA concerning hiring a chimney sweep.
For safety and economical reasons, it is crucial to carefully choose a professional chimney sweep. A chimney cleaning and inspection is necessary to protect you, your family, and your home from dangerous fires and the possibility of carbon monoxide poisoning. It is a serious job that needs to be performed by a certified chimney professional. The CSIA has provided a list of questions you should ask when hiring a chimney sweep:
- How long has the company been in business? You want to look for a company that has been performing chimney sweeps and inspections for an established period of time. Finding a company like Ashbusters, who has been in the chimney business since 1985, that has been around for a while offers experienced chimney sweeps who have years of cleaning chimneys under their belts.
- Does the company offer current references? Ask to see reviews from customers when considering a chimney sweep company to hire. Be wary of a company that gives you dated references. You can also go online to check review sites such as Yelp and Google Reviews to find customer comments about the business.
- Does the company have unresolved complaints filed within the city or state consumer protection agency or Better Business Bureau? If the company does have unresolved complaints, ask for their explanation of the situation. You can do some investigating yourself at your city or state consumer protection agency and searching online at the Better Business Bureau’s website.
- Does the company carry a valid business liability insurance policy to protect your home and furnishings against accidents? Unfortunately, accidents do happen, and if a company is uninsured, you could face some hefty costs as well as the possibility of losing your homeowner’s insurance policy. You should also ask if the company has worker’s compensation to cover the costs in the event of an employee injury.
- Does the company ensure that a CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep will be on the job? You want to be certain that the chimney sweep you hire has gone through the CSIA certification process to be guaranteed of a thorough and complete chimney sweep and inspection. All of our chimney sweeps at Ashbusters are certified by the CSIA, the standard of the chimney industry.
Need to hire a chimney sweep? Get in touch with Ashbusters to schedule your annual chimney sweeping and inspection.