Our Company Blog

Spring Is the Perfect Time for Cleaning Your Chimney

As we say goodbye to winter, the first thing on many homeowners’ minds is preparing a spring cleaning plan. Atlas Chimney would like to remind you to include your chimney on the list of home maintenance tasks. We want to share with you why it is so important to schedule your annual professional chimney sweeping and inspection appointment with us in the spring as well as what you can expect from our maintenance services.

Why is it so important to have my chimney cleaned in the spring?

After a season of heavy usage, your chimney may have sizable amounts of creosote accumulated on its inner walls. A natural compound that develops during combustion, creosote is problematic because it leads to unpleasant odors invading your home. It also creates a dangerous fire hazard in your chimney. Creosote is so flammable that the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) names it as a leading cause of chimney fires. It is equally as important to have your chimney professionally inspected in the spring to make sure there are no water leaks that could lead to masonry damage. You want to protect your chimney from water penetration to prevent the deterioration of the bricks and mortar joints.

What can I expect from a professional chimney maintenance appointment with Atlas Chimney?

Our chimney sweeps are trained and certified by the CSIA, which means you can trust them to be skilled, honest, and professional when they visit your home. We begin this maintenance service by laying down drop cloths around your hearth area to protect the flooring. We use specialized tools, including a high-powered vacuum and rotating brushes, to ensure we remove all creosote and soot. During this sweeping, we will also remove any blockages in the flue to allow the chimney to exhaust safely. After your chimney sweeping, we examine the outside of your chimney to see if there is any masonry damage or deterioration. We also provide you with photographs of any damage and a written estimate of the necessary repairs.

Be sure to include your chimney in your home spring cleaning plan. Contact us today at Atlas Chimney to schedule your appointment for your annual professional chimney maintenance services with our CSIA-certified chimney sweeps.

A Brief History of Chimney Sweeping

The craft of sweeping chimneys changed immensely since its early origins during the Ancient Roman era. It is surprising to learn how brutal the job was before modern technology and regulations. Before laws and regulations were introduced in the United Kingdom (UK) during the Industrial Revolution (1760-1830), the majority of chimney sweeps across the globe were young children. These kids, called “chimney climbing boys,” began training as young as age six to work in hazardous conditions. Fortunately, those days are well in the past. Education and technology helped improve conditions and safety. At Atlas Chimney, our chimney sweeps have been trained and certified by the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) and use specialized tools to ensure safety. Since the history of chimney sweeping in the UK is similar to that of the USA, we want to tell you about some of the most important years in this history.

1788

During this year, the British Parliament began discussing how to regulate chimney sweeping. According to a professional chimney service in London and South Essex, Clean Sweep, an age limit of eight for chimney sweeps became law. However, this went mostly ignored. After the turn of the century, George Smart invented the first mechanical sweeper. Groups promoted this new method of chimney sweeping and lobbied to Parliament for stricter laws.

1834

Around a decade earlier, Joseph Glass improved on George Smart’s invention, creating the modern chimney sweeping brush. More and more people used this new tool, lessening the need for small children who could fit into chimneys. Parliament passed a law in this year saying children must agree in front of a magistrate to be a chimney sweeper.

1840

An act of Parliament protected those under 21 years old from chimney sweeping. However, this was not taken seriously because it was not law. Lobbyists continued to press Parliament into declaring this act into law, and over the next 35 years, controls over chimney sweeping were tightened significantly. In 1875, the Chimney Sweepers Act became law in order to stop child labor.

Atlas Chimney is thankful for the many improvements to the technology and other working conditions in the chimney industry. If you live in the Austin area, contact us for your professional chimney maintenance, repair, and installation needs.