If it’s time for fireplace and chimney sweeps, it’s time to call Windy Chimney Services, serving the Schaumburg, IL area. Make sure your heating system is safe and in tip-top shape for use all year round.

Sweep Services For Safer, Cleaner Heating

During a flue and fireplace cleaning, we remove soot and creosote that can cause house fires. Before we start, we make sure to inspect your chimney for damage. We want to be sure everything is safe and sound.

• Damage & Integrity Assessment
• Creosote & Soot Deposit Removal
• Manual & Mechanical Cleanings
• Ensure Clear, Safe Ventilation
• Mess-Free, Guaranteed
• Animal & Nest Removal

First, We Check For Chimney Damage

After a safety inspection, one of our fully trained professionals will visually assess the chimney – looking it both up and down. Then, an integrity test will be performed. We will push the cleaning rods and brushes through the flue.

If there is an issue with integrity, you may see parts of brick, mortar, or tile fall down the shaft. This type of damage is important to address as soon as possible for optimum safety.

Bye, Bye Soot & Creosote Buildup

Next, we clear creosote and soot deposits from within your fireplace and flue to help prevent house fires and ensure maximum heating-efficiency. This also clears the way for proper ventilation of dangerous combustion gases, helping to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.

Creosote is a highly flammable substance left behind when you burn wood and other fossil fuels. It is carried upwards with the smoke, coating the inside of the chimney as it cools.

This coating can compromise the safety of the structure of your chimney over time.

Mess-Free, Manual Or Mechanical Sweeps

Our chimney sweep professionals provide a full, manual or roto-mechanical sweep. During a mechanical sweep service, we use a wire whip attached to a powerful, high-speed drill.

We work cleanly and carefully to ensure your chimney flue liner, smoke shelf, damper, and firebox are spic and span – leaving no mess, guaranteed.

Removing & Preventing Obstructions

As our Chicago weather takes its toll, high winds, lightning, and falling branches can all compromise the integrity of your chimney. Other flue obstructions might include small animals, nests, a collapsed chimney liner, and excessive creosote buildup – including creosote bridging.

We may have to take extra steps to fully ensure the removal of all obstructions, as traditional sweeps may not alone remove all blockages.

How Often Should I Get A Chimney Sweep?

A chimney and fireplace sweep needs to occur at least once a year. Depending on your flue and fireplace’s age, use level, and condition, you may need cleanings more often.

• Once per every face cord (a stack of wood that is 4ft tall by 8ft long) burned.
• Every time there is 1/8 creosote buildup on the inner liner or smoke chamber.
• If you’re thinking of buying or selling a home with a fireplace.
• If you’re lighting your fireplace for the first time. Yes! Even if you’ve never burned in it before.

Sweeps & Inspections Before First-Time Use

Many homeowners assume that if they have never used the fireplace before, it must be safe and clean. Keep in mind that damage can occur even without burning for years. Lightning may have struck a side of the chimney, causing structural damage. Rain, snow, sleet, ice, and freezing Chicago temperatures cause havoc upon chimneys.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) estimates that more than 22,000 homes are damaged by chimney fires every year when routine fireplace maintenance is ignored.

Be safe and have your fireplace inspected by one of our highly trained professionals before burning for the first time.

Free 14-Point Inspections With Every Sweep

The NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) code 211 says, “Chimneys, fireplaces, and vents shall be inspected at least once a year for soundness, freedom from deposits, and correct clearances. Cleaning, maintenance, and repairs shall be done if necessary.”

A complete fireplace inspection from Windy Chimney Services can ensure your safety and reduce fires, which is why we offer a complimentary 14-point check inspection on all fireplaces and chimneys.

• The complete exterior of the chimney, including the bricks, mortar, flashing, roof saddle, concrete crown and everything else will be inspected at no charge with every sweep.
• The firebox, damper, smoke chamber and flue will then be assessed for cracks and breaches in the flue liner. Should a more thorough assessment of the flue be required, a video inspection can be carried out upon request.

Other Types Of Flues That Need Maintenance

Fire hazards don’t stop with fireplaces and chimneys. Neglecting your dryer or furnace vent can also have serious consequences. Often they don’t even need a spark to start destruction; just the heat alone is enough to create a chain reaction.

• Wood Burning Stoves
• Pellet Stoves
• Gas Stoves
• Gas Furnaces
• Oil Furnaces
• Gas Water Heaters
• Gas Boilers

Schedule Your Chimney Sweep

Windy Chimney Services is here to make sure your fireplace and flue are all set for safe service with regular chimney sweeps in Schaumburg, IL. Contact us to schedule a cleaning and inspection today.