Does having my chimney swept improve the air quality inside my house?
For Brevard, the air-quality answer runs through water. Transylvania County catches 80-plus inches of rain a year, and a cracked crown or spalled flue lets that moisture into the chimney, where it mixes with creosote into a sour, musty mess that drifts back indoors. Sweeping clears the buildup and restores draft so smoke exits. It won't, however, purify your household air.
Rain is the local variable
Few places we serve get wetter than Brevard, and all that rain finds the chimney. Water seeping past a cracked crown or through spalled brick soaks into creosote on the flue walls, and wet creosote is exactly what produces the acrid, campfire-in-a-damp-basement smell that seeps back into the room on humid days, worst during the March-through-June wet season. The crawl spaces and chimney chases on Brevard's downtown homes and cabins hold that dampness too. A sweep strips the creosote out; pairing it with a crown-and-cap check keeps the water from starting the cycle over.
Propane, wood, and what actually gets swept
Brevard is propane-and-wood country more than natural gas. The cabins around Connestee Falls, Sherwood Forest, and Pisgah Forest run LP or burn cordwood. That distinction changes the job: wood fireplaces build the creosote a sweep is really for, while propane gas-log flues collect cobwebs, nests, and debris instead. Both can block a flue and spill byproducts into the room, but only one makes creosote, so what your visit needs depends on how you heat.
Set expectations, then book
A clean, dry, clear flue drafts properly and keeps combustion byproducts headed up and out, and that's the real air benefit. It is not an air purifier and won't touch dust or pollen. We're 40 minutes southwest of the Asheville showroom; late summer or early fall is the time to schedule. Call (828) 545-0525.
Fireplace help in Brevard
We install and service fireplaces throughout Brevard and the rest of Transylvania County — just 40 minutes southwest from our Asheville-area showroom.
Related questions
- Is creosote toxic to breathe or touch?
- Do wood-burning fireplaces pollute the air inside your house?
- Why do I smell smoke in my house when the fireplace isn't even burning?
- Why does my fireplace smell in the summer or when it rains?
- Can an unused fireplace or chimney cause moisture and mold problems in the house?