Chimney Sweep Services

Every year, fire departments in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and around the Twin Cities respond to chimney fires, usually during the middle of winter. While most fires are extinguished quickly, some are quite devastating. A chimney fire can break out at any time – even in the middle of the night while your family is asleep. Many deaths from chimney fires are due to smoke inhalation when victims can't escape in time. The overwhelming majority of chimney fires can be avoided by having a professional sweep inspect and clean the flue at least once a year.

Your Chimney Needs Professional Cleaning

Many homes in downtown Minneapolis, St. Paul, and outside the loop often have multiple heating appliances like a wood-burning stove, gas fireplace, furnace, and gas water heater. So, it's common for a home to have more than one flue connected to a single chimney. Whether you have one or several solid or fossil fuel heating appliances, they need regular cleaning to prevent obstruction, masonry damage, and flue liner cracks that can cause a fire or expose your family, including pets, to deadly carbon monoxide fumes. For example, owls are a common nuisance due to the many stately trees surrounding our properties. As a result, they often seek shelter inside a warm chimney, which blocks the venting of harmful contaminants.

When soot, ash, creosote, debris, and nearby wildlife accumulate inside the flue, it reduces its heating efficiency, so you will burn more fuel to stay warm. Thus, further increasing the risk of a devastating fire and exposure to toxic carbon monoxide gas. That's why Twin City Fireplace and local and national fire safety experts encourage homeowners with gas, coal, or wood-burning heating appliances to recommend annual chimney cleaning and safety inspections.

Safety Alert:  We recommend all homeowners using a fireplace, insert, stove, or other solid or fossil fuel heating appliance to install a carbon monoxide (CO) detector on every floor of their home. Test and replace the batteries every six months.

Professional Chimney Inspections

We are qualified to provide all three chimney inspection levels per NFPA Rule 211 Standards & Codes. Below is an overview of our Level I, II, and III inspections:

Level 1: This is a basic visual inspection of the chimney, venting system, and attached heating appliances that checks for signs of any apparent damage or other problems, such as creosote build-up, obstructions, draft issues, and clogged burner ports, for example.

Level 2: Also known as a real estate chimney inspection, it is a more thorough inspection of the entire chimney system. It involves using specialized equipment, including a video chimney scan, to detect any hidden damage or problems, like tiny cracks in the liner or masonry, that a sweep may not see in a basic visual inspection.

Level 3: This is the most comprehensive type of inspection, which typically involves disassembling portions of the chimney, such as a chimney cap, crown, or even sections of a masonry wall, when a chimney sweep suspects severe damage in an otherwise inaccessible area of the chimney system.

Twin City Fireplace provides professional chimney sweep services, including inspections, cleaning, and repairs in Hennepin, Washington counties, and Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul.