Chimney Sweep in Camden, NJ

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Our fireplace was bricked up years ago when the house went to gas heat. Can you open it back up?

   Maybe, but it isn't a quick job and we won't do it blind. In Camden rowhomes and twins from the 1880s through the 1920s, a sealed fireplace usually means the flue behind it has been sitting unused and unmaintained for decades. We scope it first. What we typically find is an 8x8 or smaller coal-era flue that was never lined, or whose parging has crumbled off the brick, plus a crown that's long gone from the top of the stack. Sometimes that same chimney is now venting a gas water heater through a neighboring flue, which changes what's safe to do. If the flue checks out, reopening is realistic. If it doesn't, we'll tell you what relining or rebuilding would involve rather than light a fire in something that isn't ready for it.

2. Why does my chimney have several flues in it, and do you sweep all of them?

   A lot of Camden houses were built when every room that mattered had its own coal grate, so a single stack can carry multiple separate flues running up side by side. Over a century, most of those got abandoned, and one or two got repurposed — commonly for a gas water heater or furnace. We identify what each flue actually serves before sweeping. An abandoned flue still matters, because if its liner has collapsed, debris and gaps can let combustion products cross into a flue you are using. We sweep and inspect what's in service and document the condition of what isn't.