Chimney Cleaning in Greater Pittsburgh

Every time you burn wood, a little creosote condenses on the inside walls of your flue. Over a season or two it builds into a hard, tar-like glaze that narrows the passage and — because creosote is flammable — becomes the single most common cause of chimney fires. A proper cleaning removes that buildup before it becomes a hazard.

Frank & Sons cleans wood-burning fireplaces, inserts, wood stoves, and the flues that serve them. We work from a drop cloth with HEPA vacuums and rod-and-brush tooling, so the soot ends up in our equipment rather than on your living room floor.

Signs it's time for a cleaning

• You've burned through a cord or more of wood since the last sweep.
• Smoke rolls back into the room instead of drawing up the flue.
• A strong campfire or tar smell lingers near the firebox.
• You can see black, flaky or shiny buildup on the flue walls.
• The damper or smoke shelf is packed with debris.

What a Frank & Sons cleaning includes

We start by protecting the work area and setting up containment so no soot escapes into the room. Then we inspect the firebox, damper, smoke chamber and flue to see how much buildup is present and whether it's soft soot or hardened creosote.

Using the right brush for your flue size and material, we sweep the full length of the chimney from firebox to cap, clearing the smoke shelf and damper along the way. We finish by vacuuming the firebox and giving you a plain-English rundown of the flue's condition — including anything we'd keep an eye on.