How long does a chimney sweep take?

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People frequently ask how much time they should set aside for their chimney sweep. In general, a chimney that is maintained each year will have a quick appointment. It can take as few as 45 minutes to completely clean the system. However, there are a lot of factors that can affect your appointment time. The following is a list of things that could make your chimney sweep appointment take longer than an hour:

  1. Frequently used (dirty system)

  2. More than a year between cleanings (dirty system)

  3. Repairs required

  4. Cap installation required

  5. Extra area to clean (like an ash dump)

  6. Complicated access such as a steep roof

  7. Large firebox

It is actually fairly rare to encounter a chimney that is a quick cleaning job. Most of the time there is something that needs to be addressed within the system. This is why we typically allot 2 hours to each appointment. Even with a 2 hour cushion, our techs sometimes encounter something totally unusual. We’ve found that we have the most success when we expect the unexpected.

Emily Martinezchimney sweep