Sweep up!
Nazi memorabilia is Zachary Purvis' strangest find inside a chimney in all his years cleaning them.
“It looked like originally it had been used to open the damper, but the fireplace hadn't been used in years and years,” said Purvis, owner of Black Knight Chimney of Evans City, adding the homeowners of nearly a year were just as surprised when the swastika-decorated piece of metal was recently discovered in half a bucket of creosote.
The warm months of spring and summer are the best times for a chimney sweep to remove a chimney's creosote buildup, which can become odorous, and dangerous.
Creosote is a dark brown or black flammable tar deposited — especially from wood smoke — on the walls of a chimney.
Chimney sweeping is important because it ensures the flammable substance is removed, Purvis said,
The leading factor contributing to home heating fires in 2012-2016, at 27 percent, was a failure to clean, solid-fueled heating equipment, primarily chimneys, according to the National Fire Protection Association.
Purvis started working in the industry when he was 13 with his father who owned Black Knight Energy. When the company changed,
Purvis continued the chimney work and started Black Knight Chimney.“It's something different every day,” he saidContrary to the soot-covered faces dancing to “chim chiminey” lyrics from “Mary Poppins,” the 1964 movie musical, chimney sweeping is a clean job.With the advancement in vacuums, the work is tidy, Purvis said. A high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtered vacuum captures any dust in the home with the extra protection of drop cloths.In a traditional method, Purvis uses 6-foot fiberglass rods and brushes that are 8 inches to 10 inches thick to sweep a chimney, he said.A chimney is swept from the bottom if it is an open fireplace or swept from the top if it is a free-standing wood burner, he said.Purvis' two chimney sweep crews have five sweeps per day, he said.“There is no shortage of odd calls,” he said.
Owls, ducks, squirrels, birds and dead animals are some of the things removed from chimneys, Purvis said, adding 11 raccoons is the record removed from one chimney.Another business that has had raccoon calls is that of Justin and Laura McDaid, owners of FireTec in Prospect, a fireplace service specialist. They bring over 20 years of experience in the industry to their two-year-old business.“It's helpful for someone to be proactive before snowflakes start to fly,” Laura McDaid said.Safety concerns can be found in other areas other than in the firebox and flue, such as areas they are connected to, including attic space.In addition to chimney sweeping, the McDaids offer chimney inspections for the homeowners' safety, she said. Their technicians are certified through the Chimney Safety Institute of America.In a level II inspection, a camera scope goes up the flue, she said, which is one technological advance in the industry.Justin McDaid rotary-cleaned a chimney one morning last week — which is when a high-powered brush head is attached to the end of extendible flexible rods and a drill that runs up and down the chimney liner. “We treat this home like we would treat our own home,” McDaid said.Annual chimney sweeping is recommended, Laura McDaid said. For heavy burners, sweeps are recommended every time a cord of wood (a stack measuring 4 feet high by 4 feet wide by 8 feet long) is burned.“Some people say 'I've been burning my fireplace for 20, 30 years and I've never had it looked at.' That's not a safe practice,” Justin
McDaid said. “You're taking a chance every time you light a fire in that fireplace.”And there is one visitor no local chimney sweep can dislodge. At this time of year, the chimney swift's presence is common, a species protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. When swifts build their nests in a chimney, chimney sweeps have to leave.Second to space heaters, fireplaces or chimneys are also involved in a large share of heating fires, 32 percent, and account for one-quarter of direct property damages, according to the National Fire Protection Association. Five percent of all reported home fires in 2012-2016 were classified as confined chimney or flue fires.In some cases, these fires involved fireplaces, wood stoves, or other non-chimney equipment, but the main issue was that creosote buildup was often ignited when the equipment was used.Purvis said he sees between $200,000 to $300,000 in insurance work after chimney fires.To be safe, use seasoned wood, where the moisture content in the wood is at 20 percent or less, Justin McDaid said. If the wood has any more moisture, you can hear sizzling and popping.A fireplace needs to maintain a proper draft with the exhaust going up and out. Moisture in the wood makes the smoke heavy and cooler, which makes it stick to the flue liner as it rises.Powders and chemical treatments, such as creaway, can be used when a person lights a fire because they can break the creosote down to a crystal instead of a sticky tar, he said.“It's vitally important to the safety of the people in the house,” Laura McDaid said about chimney sweeping. “It's definitely something some people neglect, and it certainly shouldn't be.”
<br />
<br />
<br />
