That Campfire Smell in July Is Your Chimney Asking for a Cleaning
It is 100 degrees outside, the air conditioner is running, and your living room smells like an old campfire. You have not lit a fire since February. So where is it coming from?
It is the creosote in your flue. Dallas summers are humid, and damp air makes soot and creosote smell stronger. When the air conditioner runs, it can pull outside air down the chimney and carry that smell into the house. A professional chimney cleaning takes the soot out, and the smell goes with it.
The smell is the small problem. The big one is fire. Creosote is flammable, so a creosote buildup is a real fire hazard, and a dirty chimney is one of the most common causes of home heating fires. Dallas Chimney Care provides chimney cleaning in Dallas, TX so your fireplace is clean and safe before the first cold front arrives.
What a Chimney Cleaning Includes
A professional chimney sweep from Dallas Chimney Care does more than run a brush up the chimney flue. Here is what happens during one visit:
- We protect the room. Drop cloths go down around the fireplace before any tool comes out.
- We sweep the flue. Rods and brushes sized to your flue scrub the soot and creosote off the walls from top to bottom.
- We clean the firebox, smoke chamber and damper. These spots collect the most buildup, and they are the ones most often skipped.
- We vacuum as we go. The soot goes into the vacuum, not into your air.
- We look inside with a camera. You see the inside of your own flue, including any cracked tiles or gaps.
- We check the roof. Chimney cap, crown and flashing all get a look, because that is where leaks start.
- You get a photo report. If something needs repair, you also get a written price before any work starts.
The whole chimney cleaning takes about an hour for most homes.
How Much Does Chimney Cleaning Cost in Dallas?
A chimney cleaning with a level 1 safety inspection and photo report costs $199 at Dallas Chimney Care. First-time customers pay $99.
A few things can change the price, and we tell you before we start:
- A second flue. Some Dallas homes have two fireplaces that share one chimney stack.
- A wood stove or fireplace insert. These take more time to take apart and clean.
- Heavy, glazed creosote. A shiny, hard coating needs extra work to remove safely.
- An animal nest. Nests have to come out before the flue can be swept.
Chimney sweep costs vary across DFW, so ask any chimney company for the price in writing before the work starts. With us, estimates for repairs, chimney caps and liners are always free. See all of our chimney sweep prices and coupons, including 10% off for seniors, veterans and first responders.
Signs Your Chimney Needs Cleaning
You do not have to guess. Call for a chimney sweep if you notice any of these:
- A smoky or campfire smell when the fireplace is not in use
- Smoke coming into the room instead of going up the flue
- Fires that are hard to start or that burn weakly
- Black, flaky or shiny buildup on the damper or flue walls
- Bits of soot or debris falling into the firebox
- Birds or scratching sounds inside the chimney
- More than a year since the last sweep or inspection
If you are a homeowner and you notice any of these, have a technician inspect the flue before you use your fireplace again.
How Often Should a Dallas Chimney Be Swept?
The National Fire Protection Association recommends that chimneys, fireplaces and vents be inspected at least once a year and cleaned when needed. You can read the standard itself here: NFPA 211. The Chimney Safety Institute of America says a flue should be swept once it has one eighth of an inch of soot, and sooner if the buildup is shiny.
In Dallas, most families burn only a handful of fires each winter. That means your chimney may not need a full sweep every year. It still needs the yearly inspection, because our weather does damage whether you use the fireplace or not. Spring hail cracks crowns and dents caps. Heavy rain finds old flashing. Chimney swifts, which are protected birds, nest in open flues from spring through summer. An annual visit catches all of it.
Wood, Gas and Prefab Fireplaces: We Clean Them All
Dallas homes have every kind of fireplace, and each one is cleaned a little differently.
Masonry fireplaces
Older homes in neighborhoods like Lakewood, the M Streets and Preston Hollow usually have brick chimneys with clay tile liners. We sweep the tiles and look for cracks and missing mortar between them.
Prefab fireplaces
Many newer Dallas homes have a factory-built metal fireplace with a metal flue and a chase cover on top. These need the right size brush, and the chase cover needs a check for rust.
Gas log fireplaces
Gas burns cleaner than wood, but it still leaves soot on the logs and in the flue. We clean the logs, the burner and the flue, and make sure the damper is set the way it should be.
Why Dallas Homeowners Choose Dallas Chimney Care for Chimney Cleaning
Dallas Chimney Care is a small local business, not a big chain. Our owner worked as a chimney technician for 20 years and is certified by the Chimney Safety Institute of America. The company is insured, and our work comes with a 5-year workmanship warranty.
We clean chimneys for homeowners throughout Dallas, from North Dallas and Preston Hollow to Lakewood and Oak Cliff, in residential and commercial buildings. Regular chimney cleaning is the cheapest way to protect your home, and we back it with quality workmanship.
When you call, a local person answers, from 7 AM to 11 PM, every day of the week. Most chimney cleanings can be booked for the same day or the next day. The person who shows up is part of our own team, and the price you were told is the price you pay.
Chimney cleaning is only one part of what we do. Dallas Chimney Care is a full-service chimney sweep in Dallas, and the same team handles chimney inspections, chimney leaks, masonry repair, chimney caps, fireplace service and dryer vent cleaning. You only need one chimney company for the whole house.