Chimney Sweep and Cleaning in the Denver Metro

In every city across the metro, 61% to 77% of homes run on gas heat by the Census Bureau's latest five-year count, while wood heats almost none of them. So a sweep here is rarely one big chimney that burns all winter. It might be a gas log set in a 1920s bungalow, a factory-built wood fireplace in a Highlands Ranch family room, or a stove in the foothills that runs every cold night.

Burning is limited too. From November through March the state can call an Action Day, and on those days an open wood fireplace in most of the metro below 7,000 feet has to stay dark. Fewer fires means slower buildup, but people also lose track of the flue. At the free inspection we tell you whether it needs cleaning now, and if it does, you get the price in writing before we start.

Signs you need this

• A full season of regular wood fires since the last sweep
• Black flakes on the hearth or a sour smell on warm days
• Smoke hangs in the firebox before it starts to rise
• Gas logs leaving soot on the glass or the brick face
• Twigs, leaves or nest material sitting on the damper

How we do it

1. Look firstWe inspect the fireplace, the flue and the top of the chimney, photograph what we see and give you the cleaning price.
2. Cover the roomFloor protection first, then plastic over the opening and a HEPA vacuum running for the whole job.
3. Brush the flueWe brush top to bottom with a brush sized to your flue, then clear the smoke shelf and the firebox.
4. Show the resultPhotos from before and after, plus a short written list of anything worth watching or fixing later.

Does a gas fireplace vent ever need sweeping?

Gas burns far cleaner than wood, but the vent can still collect trouble: a bird nest, leaves blown in by wind, flakes of old mortar, or soot from logs that burn rich. Denver adds one more cause. Gas appliances are usually set up to burn less gas at altitude, and the common trade rule is a 4% reduction for every 1,000 feet above 2,000 feet, which works out to roughly 13% here.

A fireplace that was never adjusted for the elevation can burn with a lazy yellow flame and leave soot on the glass and the logs. We look at the flame and the log placement as part of the inspection. Cleaning off the soot is part of the sweep. If the burner itself needs adjusting, we tell you and price that as gas fireplace service.

How do no-burn days change how often I should sweep?

The usual advice of one sweep a year assumes a fireplace that gets steady use. Many Denver open fireplaces now burn a few weekends a winter, because the state issues its burning forecast every day at 4 p.m. from October 31 to March 31, and on Action Days they cannot be lit. A fireplace like that may not need a sweep every year, though it still deserves a yearly look.

Stoves are the opposite. EPA Phase III wood stoves and approved pellet stoves are exempt from the restrictions, so they often run all season and build up faster. We set the next check by what we actually find in the flue, not by a fixed calendar.

Why don't you list a price for sweeping?

A one-story Aurora ranch with a short flue and a tall brick stack on a two-story Denver Square with a steep roof are not the same afternoon of work. Flue count, roof access and the amount of buildup swing the job too much for one posted number to be honest.

What you get instead is a figure on paper at the free inspection, before a brush goes up. If the flue holds more than soot, for example a glaze that a brush cannot touch, that is quoted on its own line so nothing new appears on the bill at the end.