Chimney sweep and cleaning in Inkster

How people here heat with a fireplace

Inkster's houses are small, and a lot of them have one chimney that does double duty: a fireplace flue on one side and a furnace or water heater flue on the other. In the older bungalows south of Michigan Avenue, some fireplaces still burn wood. Others have an insert or a wood stove piped into the old chimney. A few got gas logs, and plenty sit unused.

Wood leaves creosote on the flue walls. Burn small, cool fires or wood that isn't dry, and that creosote builds up thick and crusty, like in the photo. That's what a sweep takes off.

Nests, leaves and the river

Inkster Valley Golf Course on Middlebelt has the Rouge running through it and more than a hundred acres of wetland. Houses on the streets nearby have birds, raccoons and squirrels close at hand, and an uncapped chimney looks like a hollow tree to them. Fall leaves land on the chimney top and drop down an open flue.

Chimney swifts nest in chimneys from May to August. They're federally protected, so if they're in your flue we come back after they leave. Our guide to chimney swifts explains what you'll hear and why we wait.

Timing

Book before the first cold weekend. Once the cold comes, the schedule fills up fast, and the flue should be swept before the first fire of the year. Late summer, after the swifts have gone, is the easiest time to get the day you want. If you burn a lot or aren't sure when it was last done, our guide on how often to clean a chimney helps you decide.

What you get for $349

The $349 covers one flue. We lay drop cloths around the fireplace, sweep the flue with brushes and rods, and inspect the chimney inside and out on the same visit. Then we clean up and tell you what we found. A camera through the flue is $75 more. If the inspection turns up crumbling brick or a cracked crown, we'll show you, and you can read about chimney repair in Inkster before deciding anything.