If you have a wood-burning or gas fireplace in your home, there are a number of safety aspects you need to be aware of. A big part of this safety component is the cleaning and maintenance of your fireplace, chimney and related parts. I did some research of various chimney and fireplace cleaning services and found a range of options.
Expect to pay $125 – $375 for a fireplace cleaning. Your entire fireplace should be professionally inspected and cleaned at least yearly. A cleaning should include the fireplace, chimney and vents among other parts.
Tip for fireplace owners: Ensure that your home insurance policy specifically includes fireplace coverage as it might not be automatically included.
What does it cost to have a fireplace cleaned?
Fireplace and chimney cleaning services
Expect to pay $125 – $375 for a chimney cleaning with the average being around $240. The average chimney sweeping job takes between 45 minutes to 1 hour, perhaps longer if it hasn’t been done in awhile or there are blockages or damage that needs to be accounted for.
A complete fireplace cleaning assumes that you will also have the flue (the inside passage of the chimney) and the chimney itself (the outer part) inspected and cleaned by a qualified professional.
Below is a table of popular chimney and fireplace cleaning, installation and repair costs that you might require and the range that you may expect to pay for.
Note: Costs vary widely by region and depending on the level of damage or replacement that your chimney and fireplace requires.
| Fireplace Cleaning Service | Cost |
| Chimney and fireplace cleaning | $125 – $375 |
| Chimney and fireplace inspection | $100 – $5000 |
| Chimney cap installation | $150 – $700 |
| Flue/chimney liner repair/replacement | $1600 – $5000 |
| Chimney flashing installation | $200 – $500 |
| Fireplace damper installation | $200 – $300 |
| Chimney water leak repairs | $150 – $350 |
| Animal removal | $175 – $500 |
Questions to ask a professional chimney sweep before hiring them
Historically a person who cleaned chimneys was called a chimney sweep and some companies still incorporate the name and image of a person cleaning a chimney in their logo and advertising.
Before calling a chimney sweeping company, let’s understand the types of inspections the very best ones are qualified to offer so you understand your options.
While up to three levels of inspection services exist, not all companies you are looking at may be qualified to offer each one. Here is what each level offers so you can understand what you might need and find the correct company to perform the service:
- Level 1 inspection: The most basic inspection of visible parts when no changes to the chimney have been made since the last inspection.
- Level 2 inspection: A more detailed inspection when changes were made to the system or during a home sale or transfer of ownership.
- Level 3 inspection: Incorporates Level 1 and 2 components plus the removal of certain chimney components to gain access for inspection purposes.
If you’re shopping around for chimney sweeping services, here are some questions to ask each company if you can’t find the answers on their website:
- Do you provide Level 1, 2 and 3 inspections?
- How much are your services and do you charge by service or by the hour?
- Is the inspection a simple flashlight inspection or do you use a camera that takes photos and video of the inside of the chimney?
- Can you provide a free estimate for repairs I might need?
- Do your cleaning services include a complete inspection or does that cost extra?
- Do you have references?
- What sort of building liability insurance and workers compensation insurance do you carry?
- Will the service(s) be provided by a CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep
? - What sort of a report do you provide me with at the end?
How often should you clean a fireplace?
Experts suggest that a wood or coal burning fireplace should be inspected and cleaned professionally at least once per year. If you don’t have a closed chimney cap to prevent animals and debris from coming in you definitely want to have it inspected regularly as birds can build nests.
Even a gas or oil fireplace should be checked as blockages at the top of the chimney can occur from various sources such as roaming animals, nests, leaves and other debris.
Birds and small rodents such as mice (I experienced that personally with our gas fireplace) can enter the chimney and make it to the bottom of the fireplace and get into the house (yep, the mouse was running around our living room).
How do you know if your chimney is dirty?
How can you tell if your chimney and fireplace needs sweeping? There are several obvious symptoms that indicate you need fireplace cleaning:
- Your fires don’t burn well indicating there may be a blockage in the flue.
- Smoke enters the home rather than going up the chimney also indicating a blockage.
- Soot builds up in the firebox or hearth.
- A bird or other animal has gotten into the chimney and either built a nest (ie. you see bird droppings) or has died and might be clogging the chimney.
- Your chimney smells in the summer when heat and humidity are high. According to the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA), installing a tightly-sealed, top mounted damper can reduce air flow down the chimney which will help to minimize this smell.
How do you clean a fireplace without making a mess?
The first thing you can do to avoid making a mess is to hire a chimney sweeping professional to clean the chimney for you. A qualified service technician will know how to clean the chimney and flue from top to bottom without making a mess.
In between then you will of course need to manually clean out your fireplace yourself every so often in between lit fires to empty out the soot and ash. It is recommended not to empty and clean a fireplace until at least 12 hours after the fire has gone out and maybe more to ensure there are no hot embers still lying in wait.
And don’t use your home vacuum cleaner to clean out the fireplace as it was not designed for that purpose. Below is a short video with some more instructions to properly clean your fireplace safely yourself.
Does a fireplace cleaning log work?
Creosote is a highly flammable material that builds up inside your chimney as a byproduct of the wood, paper and other things burned in your fireplace. This build up is why it’s important to have your chimney and fireplace cleaned professionally on a regular basis. Creosote is a dangerous material to inhale but can also be a fire hazard if it is allowed to build up to a certain level without being removed.
A creosote sweeping log or simply a chimney cleaning log is one that is purported to loosen creosote to keep the chimney clean or to at least make the removal of creosote easier.
Do these logs work? In some respects a good quality creosote sweeping log can help to loosen build up and make it easier for a chimney sweep to professionally inspect and clean it later on. But a log isn’t a replacement for this service.
A good quality chimney inspector will do what a cleaning log can’t: Properly clean the inside of your chimney while also identifying potential damage that needs to be repaired before it becomes a problem.
Cleaning fireplace glass
If you have a gas fireplace you most likely have a protective glass covering. Some wood-burning stoves and fireplaces have one too. They can get dirty and it’s hard to watch your fire through a streaked dirty glass isn’t it? How can you clean it?
While you can ask your fireplace cleaning professional to the job on their yearly visit as we spoke about above, you may also consider cleaning the glass yourself.
While some people suggest wetting a towel dipped in old ashes to scrub off the inside of the glass, the last thing you want to do is scratch the glass. You’re better off using a fireplace glass-specific cleansing cream with a soft cloth made preferably of cotton.
Don’t use Windex or any generic cleaning chemical meant for windows with a paper towel or newspaper. Instead locate the aforementioned fireplace-specific glass cleaner in conjunction with a soft non-abrasive cloth.
The importance of fireplace insurance
Be sure to check your insurance policy or better yet, speak directly with your insurance agent about your fireplace(s) to ensure it is specifically covered. While home insurance policies typically do cover fireplaces as part of the coverage, you might be surprised to learn that it may not be automatic.
You might need to specifically add the coverage to your policy or at least let your insurer know that you have a fireplace and the type (wood-burning, gas) which might increase your cost.
A fireplace adds a level of danger and liability to an insurer so they will typically want to know that you have one ahead of time. They may additionally want to know what type of fireplace you have, the last time (if at all) it was inspected, who installed it, how often it is professionally cleaned and things of that nature.
So while cleaning a fireplace is important, ensuring that it is known by your home insurer is also important as some insurers may not cover damage should a fire occur and they weren’t aware of the existence of a fireplace.
Does home insurance cover chimney repair?
Your home insurance policy may cover the cost of chimney repair if the damage to your chimney was caused by a covered peril. While your insurance policy probably will not cover maintenance work, damage caused by a fire, severe storm, explosion, theft, lightning, or other disasters may be covered. Double check your policy now before you need to use it to enquire about your level of coverage.