Chimney Cleaning

Q: How fast can you come out for a chimney cleaning?

Most cleanings can be scheduled within a few days, and we work around your availability rather than asking you to sit home for an eight-hour window. When you book, you get a named technician, a real arrival window, and a text when they are on the way. That is Clause 2 of the Haven Standard, and it applies to every visit.

Q: What areas do you serve for chimney cleaning?

Our chimney companies are independently owned and operated local businesses serving their own communities, which means the technicians are your neighbors, not a crew dispatched from three counties away. When you call, you will be connected to the local Haven company that covers your address. They know the houses, the common liner configurations, and the local code requirements.

Q: How does pricing work? Will the price change once you see the chimney?

The price is written down, with the scope and the warranty, before any work begins. That is Clause 1 of the Haven Standard, and it is not a negotiation tactic, it is the entire condition of the brand. If the technician finds something unexpected during the inspection, you will see the photos, hear the explanation, and approve any additional work in writing before it happens. No door upsell, no scope creep, no "while we are in here." And if you have a written estimate from another company, bring it: we provide a free second opinion on any written estimate.

Q: What if the cleaning is not done right?

Every job is covered by the 365-Day Done Right Promise: if it is not done right, we make it right. That promise is stamped on the paperwork, not spoken in a sales pitch. And because every visit includes a documented photo record of the flue before and after, there is no argument about what the chimney looked like when we arrived. You have the evidence, and so do we. Written by the team at Emberly Chimney Cleaners, a Haven family company serving the community since joining the Haven standard.

Chimney cleaning is what keeps a wood-burning fireplace safe to use through the cold months, and it only works if the person doing it can show you what they found. Every Haven chimney company works to a published standard: a written price before anyone starts, a named technician with a real arrival window, and photographic evidence of the flue before and after the work. That standard exists because a chimney you cannot see into is a chimney you are being asked to trust on faith. We would rather show you.

What’s Included

Chimney cleaning is not one job. It is a set of distinct tasks that depend on the fuel you burn, the liner you have, and what the last sweep actually did. These are the jobs our technicians handle most often.

Standard Chimney Sweep and Cleaning

A full sweep removes creosote and soot from the flue walls using the correct brush size and type for your liner. The technician then vacuums the firebox, damper area, and smoke shelf so no debris ends up in the room. This is the baseline service for anyone who burns wood at least a few times each season, and it includes a camera-scan inspection so you can see the result rather than take the word of someone holding a flashlight.

Creosote Removal (Glazed and Stage Three)

Glazed creosote is the hardened, tar-like deposit that forms when a flue stays too cool during combustion. It cannot be brushed off with standard equipment, and leaving it in place is a chimney fire waiting for the right conditions. Technicians use mechanical or chemical removal methods appropriate to the liner material, then document the flue with the camera before and after so you can see what was removed.

Chimney Cap and Crown Inspection

Water is the slow killer of masonry chimneys, and the cap and crown are the two points where it gets in. During every cleaning, the technician checks both for cracks, rust, or missing hardware. If water has been getting behind the crown, the photos will show it long before the damage becomes visible from the yard.

Damper and Smoke Shelf Cleaning

The area just above the damper collects debris that falls down the flue, and that material blocks proper drafting and holds moisture against the metal. A thorough smoke shelf cleaning restores airflow and prevents the musty smell that drifts into the room on humid days. This is included in a standard sweep, not billed as an add-on.

Furnace and Boiler Flue Cleaning

Oil and gas appliances vent through their own flues, and those flues develop deposits too. The technician cleans the connector pipe and flue, then verifies the draft with a reading you can see on the report. This is a separate job from a fireplace sweep, and it matters for carbon monoxide safety, not just efficiency.

Level 2 Camera Inspection

Every visit includes a Level 2 inspection per NFPA 211: the camera goes down the full length of the flue and records what it sees. You get a documented photo record showing the condition of the liner, any cracks or gaps, and the finished result after cleaning. This practice has been standard at our companies since 2009, not an optional add-on.

Why Homeowners Choose the Haven Family

Diverse team of professional garage door technicians standing before company vans. — Why Homeowners Choose the Haven Family

Haven has been quietly acquiring and building home-service companies since 1998, and the thesis has never changed: the problem in this trade is not workmanship, it is not knowing. Not knowing the price before the van arrives, not knowing who is walking into the house, not knowing what was actually found inside the flue. So Haven wrote five clauses covering exactly those gaps and made agreeing to them the entire condition of carrying the name. Clause 1 is the one people remember: a written price, a written scope, and a written warranty before anyone starts, never a verbal estimate that changes after the tech is already in the living room. Clause 4 came directly from our chimney companies, where camera-scan documentation has been the default since 2009, years before any regulator asked for it. More than 38,000 chimneys have been inspected and cleaned under this standard, every one with a written price before work and a documented record after. The 365-Day Done Right Promise applies to every job, stamped on the paperwork: if it is not done right, we make it right. And the technicians are the ones you want in your home: licensed, insured, background-checked, with the license number printed on the page before you even book.