Your fireplace and chimney play an important role in your home, designed to warm your evenings and add ambiance and comfort to your living space. And as with any home system, keeping your chimney properly maintained helps it functioning efficiently, ensuring you get that cozy warmth whenever you need it as the years go by.
That said, incorrectly done maintenance can do more harm than good, so finding a professional chimney sweep with knowledge and integrity is paramount. And it may surprise you to learn that the chimney industry isn’t nationally regulated. In theory, anyone could get a business license and call themselves a chimney sweep!
Because of this lack of regulation, hiring your chimney pro will take a little bit of homework – but no worries! Here are some key qualifications to look for to simplify your search.
✓ Industry Memberships
One key thing to look for in a chimney sweep is industry memberships. Industry associations and memberships demonstrate a commitment to professional growth and development. They offer educational opportunities, seminars, and opportunities for professionals to meet and share knowledge.
Investing in memberships means your sweep has chosen into a wealth of knowledge and resources. This spells benefits for customers – both in terms of your sweep’s professional know-how and their demonstrated conscientiousness about working in the industry with integrity.
At Holy Smoke, our team is dedicated to continuing education and staying on top of industry standards. That’s why we’re part of two professional associations: the National Chimney Sweep Guild (NCSG) and the Golden State Chimney Sweep Guild (GSCSG).
✓ Certifications
A certification in any trade verifies that the tech is qualified to do the job at hand. Certifications in the chimney world show that a sweep has both undertaken rigorous training and has tested their proficiency in vital industry skills.
We’re proud to say that we’ve earned a number of professional certifications. We’re Certified Chimney Professionals, Certified Chimney Reliners, and Certified Chimney Masters. This means that our knowledge and skills have been certified by nonprofits that exist to protect the integrity of our industry.
✓ Experience
How long has your sweep been honing their skills? Skill is built through hands-on experience and mentoring. If your chimney sweep has been in the profession for many years, they are much more likely to have encountered the scenario you’re hiring them for before – sometimes many times over. Time helps train the eye to recognize issues early and train the hands to fix them adeptly.
Having joined the chimney industry in 2007, our owner has spent well over a decade and a half honing their skills in the trade. Experience only comes by earning it over time, and coupled with certifications and industry memberships, it testifies to a high caliber of professional skill.
✓ Reviews
While memberships, certifications, and experience can tell you a great deal about a professional’s know-how and skills, reviews give you the customer service perspective. What do your chimney sweep’s clients have to say? Are they satisfied with their technician’s responsiveness, cleanliness, and professionalism? And does the team you’re hiring respond to negative reviews?
Ideally, a chimney sweep should also be amiable, willing to explain the whats and whys of the process they’re hired to do, and have a clear commitment to doing thorough and careful work. Customer reviews – and the follow-ups to them – give a great angle from which to view a prospective chimney sweep.
Basically… do their past clients like working with them? If so, it’s likely you will too!
Work With Us Today
We’re proud of what we offer our community, both in terms of skill and service. As a family-owned business, we care about our customer base and seek to provide each of them with a high standard of service.
We know that for many, the fireplace is the heart of the home. Trust your family gathering place to our family here at Holy Smoke, and give us the opportunity to show you why many have relied on Holy Smoke to provide top-notch service in Siskiyou County for over 40 years.
Let’s get started. Book your annual inspection, sweeping, or repair job with our techs today. Simply call us 530-285-3841 or you can conveniently book with us online. We can’t wait to hear from you soon.
Recent Comments