AUSTIN, Texas — Cozy nights in front of a warm fireplace sound nice, but getting your chimney inspected and cleaned every year is important.
It's not usually a do-it-yourself chore, so its best to hire a professional. In this week's Take This Job, I teamed up with Hammond Fireplace and Chimney Sweep Service.
Fire safety is a serious business. It's been Rob Hammond's business for 34 years.
"If you don't get your chimney cleaned, you can have a chimney fire. It can take your house out, burn your house down and people could get hurt," said Hammond.
The job of a chimney sweep comes with a great deal of responsibility and it takes work. I took on the role of an apprentice.
First, we measure the firebox.
"You measure from here to here, top-down, and the depth and you can read it off to me and I'll write it down," added Hammond.
Then, we check the panels.
"If they are badly cracked, you have to replace the panel," Hammond said. "When I can't get my head in there, I can see straight up the chimney and the pipe looks good – no breaks in the pipe."
Next, we examined the damper and then it was time to head outside to make sure the chimney looks good from up top. Rob wears his trademark stovepipe hat. I'm not there yet. An apprentice hat will have to do.
As he climbs up, I hold on to the ladder to make sure it's nice and sturdy.
"Here I got the cap off, I'm gonna look down. Cap is OK," said Hammond.
Looking good. We go back inside to tape off the fireplace before Hammond heads back up the ladder to clean the chimney from the outside.
With a lot of elbow grease, he works his way down the chimney. With all the soot you have to vacuum.
The job gets messy, but it's important.
"This is a necessary service and the view from the rooftop is always just marvelous," added Hammond.
His visits also include making sure the homeowner has working smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors and a family fire escape plan.
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