Midtown Chimney Sweeps of Pittsburgh is ready to clean dryer vents, inspect chimneys and flues, and repair basic masonry fireplaces, and reline flues as needed for our customers. The purpose of a chimney is to provide a mostly vertical exhaust conduit to take smoke, exhaust, and debris left over after combustion of some fuel type, to the outside world. Get the soot and monoxide out of the house: this is the purpose of a chimney. Soot build up inside of chimneys, and sometimes the soot mixes with falling rain, especially when there is no chimney cap or top-sealing damper. That is why we recommend a chimney cap on every flue, and why we offer energy efficient top seal dampers!
Chimney Inspections in and Around Pittsburgh, PA
If your chimney has not been inspected in the Pittsburgh, PA area, we highly recommend, and the NFPA 211, the national standard for fireplaces chimneys and vents, requires the annual inspection of all fireplaces chimneys and vents. This is for the protection of the building occupants, to ensure that exhaust contents go all the way to the outside world. We are not the “chimney police” but we are the “chimney medics” or “chimney doctors” to aid you the building owner, property owner, apartment building owner in Pittsburgh, or resident of a single family home, to get a quote from a qualified chimney repair technician who is insured and certified for chimney related work.
Chimney Sweeping Pittsburgh, PA
One of our core services is traditional chimney sweeping. Annual cleaning is a must for solid fuel burning appliances, such as pellet, coal, or wood burning stoves, wood burning inserts and freestanding stoves. This ensures that you have a clear and properly venting flue. If you are new to a home, such as when you purchase a new home, you need to have a Level II inspection performed. This level II inspection is in our system as Advanced Chimney Inspection and Sweep. This includes a live scan video camera inspection and a brushing to the chimney. Please see our online scheduler or call our phone number at the top or bottom of this page and our trained representatives will offer you our next available booking opportunity to get your chimney inspected and your chimney swept!
Pittsburgh, PA Fireplace Cleaning
A fireplace is composed of several parts: the foundation, the firebox, and the chimney. The firebox is the portion that contains the fire, which is specially designed to handle the intense heat of a continuously burning flame. Bricks or panels usually line the firebox to keep it in good condition. Even wood stoves are typically lined with brick material. The bricks in question are standard red-clay ones purchased from Home Depot; they are firebricks. All our technicians carry a regular supply of these special, fire-rated, refractory bricks to reline degrading fireboxes.
Greater Pennsylvania Chimney Repair
While at your home, our technicians can recommend small chimney repairs, fireplaces updates, and water-resistant compounds that will enhance the chimney’s performance or prevent rain from leaking in. Common issues found by our technicians include:
- Need for repairs at the chimney’s crown or top flue tile.
- Missing mortar in the firebox or the surrounding refractory firebricks.
- Need for sealing (also known as “tuck-pointing”) at the chimney’s base on the roof.
Have a friendly and courteous Midtown Chimney Sweeps certified technician out to your house today to inspect the chimney and advise you on any work that must be done.
Dryer Vent Cleaning in Pittsburgh
How many clothes dryer fires are there annually in the United States of America? Thousands of structure fires occur annually from defective or dirty clothes dryers and their associated vents.
The lint and debris blown out by your dryer every time you use the appliance is dry and often hot. If the lint combines with the high heat of the electrical element, together they could start a fire.
How often should the dryer vent be cleaned?
- Your clothes dryer’s exhaust pipe and dryer flex connector should be inspected and cleaned once a year.
- The area surrounding the vent should be visually inspected every 6 months to be sure there’s no damage to the flexible connector pipe. Tiny holes may develop in the flexible connector behind the clothes dryer causing dust (or monoxide if it is a gas-fired dryers) to enter the residence.
- Plastic flexible connectors are not code, and must be replaced with a UL-listed product.
Let the experts at Midtown Chimney and Dryer Vent Cleaning of Pennsylvania perform your dryer vent cleaning in the greater Kennett Square, PA area today!
Gas Fireplace Service
Many people do not know that gas fireplaces are required to be inspected annually per the manufacturer’s instructions. Although a gas fireplace does not build up with soot as a wood-burning fireplace does, there remain safety issues to be concerned about.
We Fix Leaky Chimneys in the Greater Pittsburgh and Bethel Park, PA areas!
A common chimney repair for our technicians is that of providing water protection on the exterior surfaces of the fireplace or chimney. We can fix leaky chimneys. Our suite of water-resistant membranes and coatings can be applied on moist surfaces and only 4 hours before a rainstorm.
- Crown Coat seals the top of a concrete and brick chimney with a rubberized barrier.
- Chimney Saver seals the moisture from entering the sides of brick and stone chimneys.
- Flash Seal repairs and strengthens the roof-to-chimney junction flashing area to keep out water.
Quick-drying and effective, our chimney protection and leak-fighting solutions are gaining popularity from Seattle, Washington to Central Iowa, wherever the need arises. If your leaky chimney needs a repair, call our friendly staff and schedule a service call for a courteous Midtown Chimney Sweeps technician today!
Interesting fact: Did you know that National Code requires for all chimneys, fireplaces and vents to be inspected at least once a year?
Types of Chimney and Fireplace Inspections in Pittsburgh, PA, according to National Standards
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recognizes 3 levels of fireplace and chimney inspections. The three inspection levels increase in their invasiveness as the numbers increase.
- Level I Chimney Inspection
- This is your annual chimney inspection performed with every chimney sweep. Level 1 inspections satisfy the annual inspection requirement per NFPA 14.2. It is a thorough visual scan of all readily accessible portions of the chimney, appliance and connector pipes.
- Level II Chimney Inspection
- This is a more invasive inspection that requires the technician to inspect all accessible portions of the chimney, appliance and flue. This is required for all real estate professionals and property managers who are managing a home sale or transaction. When a residence changes ownership the fuel type changes, or any structural damage has occurred to the home, a Level II Inspection should be ordered. A Level II inspection requires roof access, and a live scan video of the inside of the flue. The video camera inspection is helpful to the technician to identify debris, soot buildup, and damaged flue tiles or chimney pipes.
- Level III Chimney Inspection
- This is the most invasive chimney inspection recognized by the NFPA 211. It requires the removal of bricks, drywall, or other building materials in order to allow the technician to gain access to the area that needs inspection. We do not quote these prices over the phone due to the unique nature of each job. So let’s start with a Level I chimney inspection and see if you need anything more than that first!
Proudly Serving These Southwestern Pennsylvania Towns
People often associate the Pennsylvanian countryside with Amish people, but not so much in the Steel City! Bridgeville, PA, Mt. Oliver, PA, Broughton, PA, Hendersonville, PA, McDonald, PARosslyn Farms, PA Robinson Township, PA, Clinton, PA, West View, PA, O’Hara Township, Oakmont, PA, Wilkinsburg, PA, CHruchill, PA, North Braddock, PA White, Oak, PA, Murrysvill, PA, Homestead, PA, Dormont, PA Carnegie, PA, East Liberty, PA, Bethel Park, PA and many more suburban neighborhoods of Pittsburgh, PA!
