Chimney Sweep

Can anyone recommend a certified chimney sweep that services Winchester, VA? I am looking to get a Coal stove installed and after reading SS liner woes and the problems with SS liners its made me rethink my plans of installing a SS liner. The house has 4 chimneys, two are lined, two aren't as far as I can tell (I see the tarra cotta sticking out the top of two of them).

I can't recommend anyone, as I'm about 600 miles north of you .... but I'd want to hook the stove up to the chimney with the terra cotta liner. Terra cotta lasts forever, no matter what the fuel burned.

Someone will be along eventually with some info, although there aren't as many members from your area.

Welcome to the forum, btw.

Act-Advanced Chimney Technologies
1000 Laurel Grove Road
Winchester, VA 22602
(540) 678-4060

I know nothing about them, they just appear to be an up-and-up company.

Those terra cotta lined chimney's are the way to go, frankly if your burning coal you have alot less worry then wood with regards to chimney fires. Do you have a cap on the terra cotta? (if not you should get one installed as this is really the only way terra cotta linings become damaged in my experience over the years). Water can find its way into the smallest of cracks, freeze, expand and crack the terra cotta. If you have a round lining those are all but impervious to anything (around here they seem to use rectangular and god only knows why)

You should take a peek yourself by looking up on nice clear day and looking down from the top with a light in the hearth at the bottom (you can have a very good idea of condition when doing this. The inspector will surely have a cam he sends down in order to justify work in many cases but if i dont see missing sections or pieces cracked out then im personally not paying one red cent to repair anything Quick stiff brush up and down, cap with decent overhang and plenty of space between the bottom of cap and top of liner (10" or more!), make sure the top of your liner extends a couple feet over any other existing roof lines nearby it (if it does not then get one of those caps extenders for a quick fix and to kill two birds with one stone)

Very effective way of removing creosote is to use Anti-Creo-Soot. Start wood fire in your Harman II, then pump 60-70 sprays on the fire. Let fire go out, then repeat after chimney cooled. Depending how bad creosote build up is you might need to apply 3x. Creosote becomes crystallize and dried out, allowing it to fall off chimney liner. I've removed 8 five gallons buckets of creosote out of a chimney using the product. Note get the professional grade of Anti Creo Soot.

Thank you all for your input so far. I am new to coal burning and am very glad that I've found this great community!

Does code enforcement normally need some kind of paperwork from a certified chimney sweep that says they checked a chimney and liner before code enforcement will check off on the install?

dcrane wrote: Do you have a cap on the terra cotta?

No there is currently no caps installed on any of the 4 chimneys.

loxety wrote:Does code enforcement normally need some kind of paperwork from a certified chimney sweep that says they checked a chimney and liner before code enforcement will check off on the install?

That all depends on your local government. Some places are like the gestapo ..... other places you can do what you want. Down there, I understand this differs depending on what county you live in ...

loxety wrote:Does code enforcement normally need some kind of paperwork from a certified chimney sweep that says they checked a chimney and liner before code enforcement will check off on the install?

Do you live in town? I don't see why code would need to inspect exsiting chimney. What codes officer don't know . Will not hurt.

Wiz wrote:Do you live in town? I don't see why code would need to inspect exsiting chimney. What codes officer don't know . Will not hurt.

Yeah I live downtown. When I asked code enforcement what permits were need when at the time I believed I needed a SS liner as I was being sold on by the stove dealer.. they said I just needed a Mechanical permit ($50). They said once the liner was installed they'd inspect it and then the stove shop could install the stove and then they'd sign off on it, most likely over the phone.

Im a mason 41 years . Do not get conned into a ss liner . Terra flue will last your lifetime . Den034071

loxety wrote:

Wiz wrote:Do you live in town? I don't see why code would need to inspect exsiting chimney. What codes officer don't know . Will not hurt.

Yeah I live downtown. When I asked code enforcement what permits were need when at the time I believed I needed a SS liner as I was being sold on by the stove dealer.. they said I just needed a Mechanical permit ($50). They said once the liner was installed they'd inspect it and then the stove shop could install the stove and then they'd sign off on it, most likely over the phone.

The last thing you need is SS liner.

Listen do not use SS liner, code officer doesn't know jack *censored*. Search the forum and you'll see what coal ash and moisture does to ss.. since you contacted codes, get the mechanical permit, once dealer does install codes will check it out. Dealer suggesting ss is looking to get more $$$$ from you

It was the dealer that said I'd need a SS liner. Code guy says I need mechanical permit. I've only paid for the stove so far nothing else. I am thinking my next step is to contact the chimney sweep and get it checked out then fill out the mechanical permit form, if the chimney checks out then install the stove. BTW the dealer wanted to charge me about $1900 for the SS liner and labor.