Chimney sweeps in San Antonio

What a chimney sweep does

• Protects the room. Drop cloths on the hearth and a vacuum with a fine filter running at the firebox, so soot stays out of the house.
• Brushes the flue. Rods and a brush sized to the flue, run from the bottom or the top. Glazed creosote that a brush won't move needs a different tool or a chemical treatment, at extra cost.
• Cleans the smoke chamber and smoke shelf. The area just above the damper. Debris and nests collect here, and it is where most sweeps find the problems.
• Looks at what it can see. The Chimney Safety Institute of America recommends asking for a Level 1 chimney inspection and a sweeping, and says a sweep who doesn't know what a Level 1 inspection is is the wrong sweep. A Level 1 look covers the firebox, damper, the accessible flue and the top of the chimney.
• Tells you what it found, with photos. Ask for pictures of the flue before and after. If the sweep recommends a repair, ask for it in writing with a price.

When to book in San Antonio

San Antonio averages 75.7 nights a winter at 45F or colder, and 21.1 of them in January alone (NOAA, winters 1996-97 to 2024-25). Most fireplaces get lit for the first time when a norther comes through in November or December, which is exactly when every sweep is booked out. October and early November are the easy months.

There is a second deadline in spring. Chimney swifts nest in San Antonio chimneys in the warm months. Chimney swifts are protected under the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Texas Parks and Wildlife says it is illegal to disturb swifts or their nests during the breeding season. A sweep in March, after the last fires and before the swifts come back, avoids the problem. Chimney swifts, explained.

Average nights at or below 45F, by month, San Antonio

What a sweep costs

National published ranges, not a San Antonio average and not a quote.

Which kind of fireplace you have

Wood-burning masonry fireplaces need the sweep the most. Creosote is what wood smoke leaves behind as it cools in the flue, and it burns. Heating was the second leading cause of US home fires in 2021, with an estimated 32,200 home heating fires, 190 deaths and $442 million in property loss.

Factory-built (prefab) fireplaces have a metal flue inside a framed chase. They need sweeping too, and the sweep should check the metal sections, the firebox panels and the chase cover on the roof.

Gas log sets and gas inserts make little creosote but still vent through a flue that can be blocked by a nest. A yearly check of the venting matters more than brushing. Gas fireplaces.

What to ask before the sweep comes

• What does the visit cost, and what does it include? Is the inspection a Level 1?
• Will you send photos of the flue?
• Do you carry general liability insurance? Can I see it?
• If you find a problem, will you write it up with a price, rather than start work the same visit?