Calling a chimney sweeping company can make you feel a little uneasy. There are a lot of unknowns, from the price and what to expect to the qualifications and experience of the technicians coming into your home. But we’re here to put your mind at ease by answering some of the questions you may have before calling. Let’s jump right in!
Is it going to be expensive?
If you have a known issue such as an exterior chimney issue — may be a leak or some deterioration you can see from the outside of your home — we can come out and provide a free estimate for the work needing to be done. Free estimates are basically visual evaluations or consultations. These are also offered when you want to change out your existing system or have a new fireplace or gas log set installed.
If you want to make sure your fireplace is okay to use or you think you have a problem or issue but you aren’t sure what it is, we can offer an inspection. During an inspection, we use tools to inspect the chimney for safety and troubleshoot problems, which is why inspections do have a cost.
Quick note: If you’ve scheduled a free estimate for a known problem, there’s still a chance that you’ll need to have an inspection — for example, if we can’t see enough of what we need to see in order to provide the estimate and need to use our video cameras to get a better look. But we wouldn’t provide an inspection without first discussing cost with you and getting your approval to move forward.
No matter what you need to have done, we want to make sure you never have to choose between safety and financial security. That’s why we offer financing options to our clients.
Our most popular financing option is 12 months, same as cash. That means no interest, no payments for a year, so you can get the work you need taken care of ASAP, regardless of whether or not it was planned and budgeted for. Our second most popular financing option is a 5-year payment plan with a 6.99% interest. Our clients love this option because it’s low interest and allows you to stretch your payments out over time.
Are you guys going to mess up my house?
The last thing you want when you hire someone to improve your home is to be left with more problems than you had before. Don’t worry. While many chimney companies don’t have certified technicians, all of our technicians are certified by the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA), and they know what they’re doing.
While we never anticipate issues and we take every possible precaution to protect your home, know that no matter what, you won’t have to use your insurance if something goes wrong — we’ll cover it. We’re fully insured with liability insurance, so you can feel total peace of mind when you choose Ashbusters.
Will my house be left dirty after a chimney service?
If cleanliness is next to godliness, we’re little deities in uniform. Chimney sweeping is a dirty process, but we have systems and equipment to control the dirt and dust coming out of your chimney, so you never have to worry.
We guarantee absolutely no mess and we leave homes cleaner than we find them by tarping floors, using runners, wearing shoe booties, and using a HEPA filter dust control system. The HEPA filter dust control system sits in front of the fireplace as we perform the service so that nothing gets out and into your home.
What can happen during a routine chimney cleaning if a company or technician doesn’t take the proper precautions?
One of the main things you see happening with companies that are not as well-trained or well-equipped is that they use things like a shop-vac to clean up and control dust. But the problem is, these cheaper vacuum systems don’t have proper filtering systems, so they literally spew dust back into the home.
Another damage that’s common is ladder damage to gutters. At Ashubsters, we have stand-offs on our ladders so that our ladders don’t sit right against your gutters, they actually sit on your roof. This prevents any damage to your home during our services.
How do I know if the technicians doing the work are qualified?
Obviously, when it comes to your home’s safety and big costly upgrades, improvements, or repairs, you don’t want someone training “on the job.” Instead, you want someone who knows what to do and how to do it. And, you also want to know that you can trust the person to be in your home around your belongings and loved ones.
Here at Ashbusters, all of our technicians are criminal background checked, drug tested, and fully-trained in-house through our apprenticeship program before they ever enter a customer’s home. Other companies tend to train in your house, we train in our facility.
We have a one-year apprenticeship program (sometimes it’s longer, sometimes it can be a little shorter if they’ve had chimney training previously), and all of our apprentices must pass through our senior technicians to make sure they’re capable and qualified. They must also pass the CSIA certification credential before they can run one of our vehicles.
The bottom line? With Ashbusters, you enjoy peace of mind and get better techs and better service, guaranteed.
Hope we’ve answered some of the questions and allayed some of the fears you may have had about chimney sweeps. If you have any more questions or we can help in any way, just give us a call. We’re here for you.