Residents in Lees Summit, MO, and surrounding areas rely on Fluesbrothers Chimney & Fireplace of Kansas City, KS, to keep their chimneys clean and safe all year long. We offer chimney sweep services as well as chimney inspections and repair. Here’s how we can help you.
Chimney Sweep Maintenance
Having your chimney cleaned (swept) once a year is an excellent way to prevent chimney fires and structural damage to the internal flue. Fluesbrothers chimney sweeps are certified through the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) to ensure that the work we do at your Lees Summit home will be done safely and correctly.
The Problem with Creosote
Creosote is a highly flammable substance that forms when smoke condenses in your chimney flue. There’s no way to avoid creosote if you use a wood-burning fireplace, but there are ways to control it.
Start with annual chimney sweep service to remove built-up creosote. In between, you can minimize the amount of smoke from your fires by:
- Burning only dry, seasoned wood
- Burning nothing but wood – clothing, household garbage, magazine pages and other non-firewood items create large amounts of smoke
- Ensure there is a sufficient draft of air to cause logs to fully combust (cracking a nearby window often solves this problem)
- Have a full-width custom chimney cap installed to prevent drafting obstructions such as tree debris and small-animal nesting material (see below) from entering your flue
Creosote is responsible for the majority of chimney fires in the Lees Summit area every year, so your goal is to always have as little of it as possible inside your chimney.
Chimney Sweeps Remove Drafting Obstructions
Leaves, twigs, falling fruit, the nests of small animals and animals that die inside your chimney all can cause smoke-drafting to become sluggish. If you’ve been operating your Lees Summit chimney without a sturdy chimney cap, you may have some of this debris in your flue.
One of our licensed technicians can inspect for this debris and remove it along with any creosote buildup. Once the job is finished, your sweep will recommend that you install a chimney cap, which protects the entire top of the chimney including the chimney crown.
The Tools of a Certified Lees Summit Chimney Sweep
Our customers in Lees Summit, Missouri, sometimes are amazed by the tools and equipment our chimney sweeps bring to the job. We use only industry-standard tools such as electronic rotating rods, specialized chimney sweep brushes, powerful cleaning solvents and commercial vacuums.
We need all these tools because creosote removal is not a simple job and must be approached the right way. This is why we strongly discourage homeowners from attempting on their own to remove creosote and other obstructions from their chimney flues.
Chimney Inspections & Repairs In Lees Summit MO
Fluesbrothers performs professional chimney inspections and all chimney, fireplace and stove repair work throughout the Lees Summit region. An annual inspection will let you know about early signs of structural or component damage and let you get repairs done quickly.
Our technicians are trained in system-wide repairs including:
- Chimney liner repair/replacement
- Chimney crown repair/rebuilding
- Chimney cap repair/installation
- Masonry brick repair and tuckpointing
- Roof flashing repair/replacement
- Fireplace damper repair/installation
- Smoke chamber parging and smoke shelf repair
If it’s been longer than a year since your chimney was cleaned and inspected, now is a good time to give us a call. Speak with a Lees Summit chimney sweep professional at (913) 236-7141.