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The Importance of CSIA Certification

When you are looking for a chimney professional to take care of your fireplace and chimney maintenance and repair needs, you should always look to see if that professional has been certified by the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA). Known as the standard of the chimney industry, CSIA certification reflects the education and training a chimney sweep has received as well as the trustworthiness of the chimney services he or she provides. When you hire a CSIA-certified chimney sweep, you know your chimney will be properly cleaned and inspected to ensure everything functions efficiently and safely. At Atlas Chimney, our CSIA certifications are extremely important to us, and we would like to tell you more about why this credential holds just as much importance to you.

How does one become certified by the CSIA?

In order to receive certification from this non-profit organization that is committed to fireplace and chimney safety, one must first go through the training and review process. With the options of attending a one-day session in person or of enrolling in a one-week session online, chimney professionals from all over the country have the opportunity to undergo this process. After completing the review session, one must pass two exams. The first exam is a one-hour test based on Successful Chimney Sweeping, a CSIA publication, and on the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 211: Standard for Chimneys, Fireplaces, Vents, and Solid Fuel-Burning Appliances. The other exam is a 90-minute open book test on the 2006 International Residential Code. Both of these exams cover topics about chimney performance and safety, building codes and standards, and the care and installation of all types of solid fuel-burning appliances. After passing these exams, the chimney sweep must agree to pay the Annual Certification Fee and sign the CSIA Code of Ethics.

Why is CSIA certification so important for me?

The main reason why this certification is so important to you and other homeowners has to do with the CSIA Code of Ethics. By signing this code, our chimney sweeps at Atlas Chimney agree to uphold specific responsibilities, commitments, and obligations, including:

We will perform our duties by using chimney and venting safety techniques recommended by the CSIA.

We will continue to expand our education by improving our skills and learning new techniques to remain updated on fireplace and chimney safety standards.

We will use honest business practices by refraining from unfair and deceptive dealings and by clearly informing our customers about the essential safety procedures of fireplace and chimney systems.

We guarantee respectful and professional behavior whenever we work on chimneys and fireplaces in the homes of our customers.

To discover the benefits of hiring a CSIA-certified chimney sweep to perform your fireplace and chimney services, contact us at 512-CHIMNEY (512-244-6639). We are happy to show you exactly how important our CSIA certifications are to us.

How To Prepare For a Chimney Sweeping Appointment?

When we were younger, didn’t we all wish we could live in a giant castle with big windows and huge chimneys? Well, the castle part might have not come true, but for those of us who live in a house with chimneys, the story still holds a little something to talk about. However, we all dread the periodic chimney sweeping appointment. People often picture a chimney sweeping appointment like a war being raged on. This is not necessarily the case, especially if you happen to live in the Texas Hill Country. Our technicians are a mere call away.

Pride of the house

A beautiful and sparkingly clean chimney might be the starting point of a conversation, but maintaining it yourself is simply not feasible. Let us consider the facts here:

• Cleaning a chimney without first covering everything means simply creating more work than you have solved; everyone who has tried poking his head into the duct can attest to this
• Normal vacuum cleaners simply DO NOT work
• Creosote build-up can get really stubborn to just brush off

It can turn dangerous if ignored

You might not be aware of this, but after a while, creosote build-up starts accumulating inflammable chemicals on the flue wall. Better be safe than sorry. This is to mention nothing of the fact that the mortar and cement in the chimney ducts can start weakening due to the fact that they start retaining vapours after a while, being made of porous material to facilitate the passage of smoke. In fact, according to the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA), every house owner should without fail have their chimney checked at least once annually to ensure that it is in the optimum condition. We can provide the best service and guarantee complete satisfaction.

Getting to the top of the problem

Unless you hire professional help, getting to the root (or we should say the top in this case) of the problem might be difficult. Diagnosing a chimney problem can seem deceptively simple, but you might be starting at the wrong side altogether. And while the mark of a true professional is minimum participation from your end, a few simple steps can help streamline the process a lot.

• Clear the area to ensure that the mantel and the surrounding areas are empty to help the technicians complete the work faster.
• Make sure to have a proper area of safety ready; let the young ones know that the area is off limits until the work is finished and make sure that the pets do not inadvertently stray in.
• A service is never really complete until you get all your questions answered. Always do your research beforehand. We know that a 100% satisfied customer is the best selling point of our firm.

Do not put it off

A mess free chimney cleaning might be a dream to most of us, but there are firms which guarantee exactly that. What would you prefer: Warmth and relaxation or worry about when acrid smoke might come bellowing in due to an unnoticed flue blockage? Call in the professionals right now and get a sweeping appointment because at the end, the headache is not worth it.