Chimney sweep and cleaning in Plymouth

Trailwood and the township's tall trees

Trailwood went up from 1971 to 1979, with 561 houses on 26 streets, mostly colonials, ranches and split-levels. It has mature trees on nearly every lot and about 20 acres of wooded commons. Houses from those years usually have a brick fireplace with a clay-tile flue, built for wood.

In the fall, leaves and seed pods pile onto cap screens. A screen packed shut slows the draft, and a flue with no cap at all takes the leaves straight down to the smoke shelf. In spring, birds and squirrels go looking for a sheltered spot, and an open flue is easy to get into. Chimney swifts also nest in masonry flues from May to August. They're federally protected, so an active nest stays until they leave. Our chimney swifts guide explains the timing.

Wood, inserts and gas logs

Some Plymouth owners still burn wood in the original fireplace. Others have put in a wood insert, or a gas log set like the one in the photo. Wood leaves soot and creosote on the flue walls every time you burn, and a sweep takes it off with brushes on rods. An insert vents through a liner, and we sweep that the same way. Gas logs don't make creosote, but if the fireplace burned wood before, the old buildup may still be up there.

In the city, many of the Old Village houses have fireplaces that are a century old or more. On those, we look closely at the flue before we sweep, and we'll suggest the $75 camera if there's any doubt about the lining.

The visit

The sweep is $349 and includes an inspection on the same visit. Drop cloths go down first, we sweep and inspect, and we clean up before we leave. A camera through the flue adds $75. The price is for one flue, so set the quantity when you book if you have more than one. If we find something outside that needs work, you'll get photos and a written quote for the chimney repair. Our guide on how often to clean a chimney helps you decide whether yours is due.