12/27/2025
In July of 2026, I will have been in business for ten years, with nearly fifteen years of hands on experience inspecting fireplaces and chimneys.
When I first started out, I advertised briefly, for about six months. After that, I stopped. For nearly a decade now, I have operated almost entirely through word of mouth. I do not run ads. I do not send mailers. I do not actively market my services, and I rarely post on social media. That has always been intentional.
This post is an exception.
I was called out to a recent inspection because the tenant was reporting active smoking during fireplace operation. The homeowner sent a photo ahead of time, and based on that photo, the installation appeared to be a fairly typical solid fuel insert installed into a masonry fireplace. On its face, it looked like a situation where draft issues could reasonably be attributed to a dirty flue or a restricted termination.
Once on site, a few things immediately stood out as red flags. At the same time, the most obvious issue was exactly what I expected to find. The chimney termination cap was completely obstructed. The flue was dirty. The system was not drafting properly.
While I was on the roof addressing that obstruction, a neighboring homeowner stopped to talk. During our conversation, she shared that she had recently paid five hundred dollars for a chimney sweep who was on site for less than an hour, ran a brush, and left. She told me very plainly that she felt taken advantage of. After hearing what she described, I told her I agreed. Listening to her, it was hard not to recognize a familiar pattern. In my case, it would have looked like this: Clear the cap. Sweep the chimney. Restore airflow. Collect payment. Walk away.
And to be clear, stopping there likely would have resolved the smoking issue in the short term. What it would not have done is address the far more serious problem.
As the inspection continued, it became clear that the appliance and chimney system were fundamentally incompatible. Listing conflicts. Altered components. Modified airflow paths. Evidence of excessive heat exposure. Conditions that are not visible from the outside and are easy to miss if you are not familiar with how these systems are designed, tested, and intended to operate.
This is where a significant gap exists in this industry.
Clearing an obstruction and identifying why an obstruction matters are two very different things. Understanding how appliances are listed, how factory built systems differ from masonry systems, and how altered airflow and sustained heat can impact concealed framing is not incidental knowledge. It is the difference between restoring function and actually protecting a home.
When I come out to perform a sweep and inspection, it is never just about removing soot or clearing a blockage. The inspection is the work. The report is the value. My reports routinely exceed a thousand words because they are intended to explain what you have, how it works, what is wrong if something is wrong, why it matters, and what your realistic options are for mitigation. That information belongs to the homeowner.
I do not sell appliances. I do not do installations. I do not do repairs. I have no incentive to create work. My only responsibility is to evaluate the system honestly, identify hazards when they exist, and convey that information clearly and carefully.
I am fully aware that this post functions, in some sense, as advertising. But it is not driven by a desire to upsell or generate unnecessary revenue. It is driven by fatigue. Fatigue from seeing people charged significant money for superficial work. Fatigue from seeing dangerous conditions missed. Fatigue from knowing that many serious fires are preventable when systems are properly understood.
I share this for my community, not as a critique of homeowners, but as encouragement to be informed and selective about who you trust. There are people doing this work thoughtfully and responsibly, and there are others simply passing brushes through systems they do not fully understand. Knowing the difference matters.
At the end of the day, this work comes home with me. I trust my own family’s safety to the same standards I apply in the field, because the physics do not change based on whose house it is. The commitment is simple and consistent. Do the work thoroughly, explain it honestly, and never lose sight of the responsibility that comes with evaluating fire inside someone’s home.
Wishing everyone a peaceful holiday season. Stay warm, stay safe, and may every home be free from preventable harm.
