Our Company Blog

Why You Need to Hire a Certified Chimney Sweep to Service Your Chimney

Now that school is starting back, it is time to start on your fall home maintenance checklist. One of the most important tasks on that list is scheduling your annual chimney sweeping and inspection. Many national fire safety organizations like the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recommend that homeowners have their chimneys professionally swept and inspected before lighting the first fire of the new fireplace season. Finding a trusted and reliable chimney sweep can be challenging, which is why it can help to look for a sweep who has been certified by the CSIA. All of our chimney sweeps at Atlas Chimney have received certification from the CSIA, which is known as the industry standard. We would like to tell you more about why you should have a certified chimney sweep service your chimney.

GUARANTEED SAFETY

When you are dealing with a dangerous element like fire in your home, it is crucial to be absolutely certain that everything in your chimney and fireplace system is working safely. According to the CSIA, certain repair needs such as a too small flue or a too short chimney can lead to serious problems that could put your safety at risk. When a CSIA-certified chimney sweep inspects your chimney, these types of issues will be found and investigated. You will receive written and photographic documentation of the issue that is necessary to repair to ensure your safety.

SKILLED AND TRAINED SERVICE

An annual chimney inspection involves much more than just looking at the interior and exterior of the chimney. During the CSIA certification process, chimney technicians learn the important details of fireplace construction and clearance requirements that are necessary to perform a competent chimney inspection and any needed repairs. You can feel secure knowing that a certified chimney sweep has the skills and training to do the job properly and safely.

HONEST AND ETHICAL BEHAVIORS

One of the biggest parts of being a CSIA-certified chimney sweep is signing and following the CSIA Code of Ethics. The sweeps at Atlas Chimney strictly follow this code to reduce any risk of having their certification revoked. You can trust us to honestly discuss what we find during the chimney inspection and to give you all of your options so that you can make an informed decision about the work needed to be done to your chimney. You will not have to worry that you know nothing about chimney work because we will never take advantage of any lack of knowledge.

Be prepared for your first fire of fireplace season. Contact us today at Atlas Chimney to schedule your annual chimney sweeping and inspection from one of our CSIA-certified chimney sweeps.

Why Clean Air Ducts?

Your home is your sanctuary where you feel safe, comfortable, and relaxed — a place where you can breathe easily. However, the indoor air quality in your home may not be as good as you may think. Surprisingly, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has found that indoor air quality can be lower that the air you breathe outside. Continuous exposure to low air quality can even make you sick. National health organizations like the American Lung Association (ALA) have warned that indoor air quality is a top health hazard in this country. One of the reasons why the air inside your home can be so dirty involves the air duct system. Every time your heating and cooling system circulates air throughout your home, breathing irritants circulate as well. If you have ever seen dust bunnies on your air registers, you know how much dust is in that air. Atlas Chimney wants to keep you and your family healthy by improving your indoor air quality, which is why we provide professional air duct cleaning services to the residents of the Austin area. We have been asked why this maintenance service is important, so we would like to give you a more detailed answer to the most frequently asked question about air duct cleaning.

Why do I need professional air duct cleaning?

Many things can be lurking inside your air duct system, including dust, pollen, pet dander, mites, fungus, bacteria, and even mold and rodents. All of those pollutants are dispersed through the air in your home during each cycle of your heating and cooling system. For those in your household with asthma and other respiratory health problems, a long exposure to breathing contaminated air can make these problems even worse. The only way to get rid of these contaminants is to have your air ducts cleaned by experienced professionals like Atlas Chimney. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)  warns that not properly cleaning air duct systems can actually worsen the indoor air quality. Every component of your heating and cooling system must be cleaned. If just one part was left dirty, it will recontaminate the entire system. Inexperienced technicians could also damage the ducts, or even the whole heating and cooling system. If you hire an uncertified technician to clean your air ducts, you could end up having to spend a lot of money to repair that damage. You can trust Atlas Chimney to do this important job properly because our technicians hold certifications from the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA). We follow the CSIA Code of Ethics, so you know that we have been trained to correctly maintain venting systems and promised to conduct fair, ethical, and honest business practices.

Before we actually clean your air ducts, we will inspect the system to determine if your ducts are lowering the indoor air quality. This inspection is provided free of charge. If we feel the system needs a professional cleaning, we will show you why on the video we recorded during the inspection. Our technicians use specialized tools, such as skipper balls and brushes designed to clean air ducts, to ensure every component is correctly cleaned. After we have loosened and vacuumed up all of the physical dust and debris from the ducts, we will sanitize the system with a microbial spray that kills germs, bacteria, and dust mites.
If you have never had your air ducts professionally cleaned before, you may want to consider it. Contact us at Atlas Chimney to schedule an appointment for a free inspection of your entire air duct system today.