Chimney sweep and cleaning in Canton

What Canton burns

Canton's fireplaces vary as much as its houses. The brick chimneys in Holiday Park, one of the first subdivisions in the township, built south of Joy Road in the late 1960s, mostly have an open wood-burning fireplace with a clay flue. A lot of the 1980s and 1990s houses have a factory-built fireplace with a metal flue, and the bigger ones may have two, one wood and one gas. Some owners have added a wood insert, which sends its smoke up a liner. Tell us which kind you have when you book, and how many.

Wood leaves soot and creosote on the flue walls every time you burn. Inserts and stoves that are turned down low can build it up faster. Our guide on how often to clean a chimney has a simple way to tell when yours is due. If you have a wood stove or insert, call before you book so we can tell you what to expect.

Along the Lower Rouge and Pine Creek

The Lower Rouge River and Pine Creek drain the southern part of the township, and many of the lots along them are wooded. Leaves blow onto chimney tops there in the fall, and squirrels and raccoons come off the branches looking for an open flue.

Chimney swifts nest in masonry chimneys from May to August. They're federally protected, so if we find an active nest, we leave it alone and sweep after the birds have gone. Our page on chimney swifts has more.

The visit

Our cleaning is $349 and comes with an inspection on the same visit. We cover the area in front of the fireplace, sweep the flue, inspect the chimney inside and out, and clean up before we go. A camera through the flue is $75 more. If we find a rusted chase cover or a cracked crown, you get photos and a written quote for the repair, and nothing gets done until you approve it.

Before the first cold weekend

Book in September or early October. Once the nights turn cold, the calls come in all at once.