Ann Arbor, Washtenaw County
Chimney sweep and cleaning in Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor's big trees are one reason people like living here. They're also why so many Ann Arbor chimneys collect leaves, twigs and nests between sweeps.
Trees over the roof
The city looks after more than 40,000 street trees, and that doesn't count the oaks and maples in back yards. In Upper Water Hill, where hundreds of ranch houses went up on Pomona and Red Oak in the 1950s, those trees have had seventy years to grow out over the roofs. Every fall, leaves and seed pods drop into any flue without a cap. Squirrels and birds find an open chimney a good place to nest. A flue half full of that can't pull smoke up the way it should.
What comes out of the flue
In a fireplace that gets regular wood fires, the buildup is soot and creosote on the flue walls, with ash and debris on the smoke shelf behind the damper. Inserts and wood stoves burn hotter in the firebox, but their liners still collect creosote, more so when the fire is turned down low overnight. Wood that was split this fall and burned this winter is still wet, and wet wood makes more creosote.
On the visit, we cover the floor around the fireplace, brush the flue from top to bottom, and clean up. Then we inspect the chimney while we're there and tell you what we found. If your fireplace burns gas, there's no creosote to sweep, but leaves and nests block a gas vent just as easily, so tell us which kind you have when you book. Our guide on how often to clean a chimney goes by how much you burn.
Swifts in summer
Chimney swifts nest in open masonry chimneys from about May through August. They're protected by federal law, so once they've moved in, we leave the flue alone until they've gone south. If you hear chirping in the chimney in July, plan on a sweep in September. Our chimney swifts guide explains more.
Price and timing
A sweep is $349, and that includes the inspection on the same visit. A camera through the flue adds $75. The price is per flue, so if the house has a second fireplace or a stove on its own flue, set the number when you book. Book before the first cold weekend of the fall, because once the weather turns, the schedule fills fast. If you'd rather start with a look, a chimney inspection is $49.
Questions
Trees hang over our Ann Arbor roof. Do we need a chimney cap?
If the flue is open on top, a cap is the simplest fix. It keeps leaves, seed pods and animals out and lets the smoke out. A single-flue cap is $375. We look at the top of the chimney on every sweep and tell you whether a cap would help. If you already have one that's loose, re-seating it is $195.
We only have a few fires a year. Do we still need the chimney swept every year?
Maybe not. With light use, creosote builds up slowly, and the bigger problem is often a nest or a pile of leaves in the flue. We'd still have the chimney looked at once a year. A $49 inspection tells you whether it needs sweeping, and if it does, the $49 is credited toward the cleaning.
Chimney sweep near Ann Arbor
Chimney sweep in Ann Arbor
Pick a day and a 3-hour arrival window online. If you'd rather talk it through, call (248) 266-9991.