How do you find professionals to care for your car? Your home? Your health? In the age of Google, when a search turns up hundreds of professionals in your area, it can be difficult to know which service providers are knowledgeable and trustworthy. When you’re searching for someone to care for your hearth or your chimney, it can be frustrating to try to determine which chimney sweeps will do the job right and charge you fairly. That’s why certification by the Chimney Safety Institute of America is so valuable for homeowners.
What is CSIA certification?
CSIA certification is given by the Chimney Safety Institute of America — one of the nation’s top nonprofits dedicated to hearth and chimney safety education — to professional chimney sweeps. CSIA certification helps homeowners to know which chimney sweeps really know their stuff and can be trusted to care for their fireplace and chimney. In fact, if you’re starting a search for someone to clean, service or install a hearth appliance or chimney in your area, one of the best places to start is with the Chimney Safety Institute of America.
How do sweeps become CSIA certified?
Professional chimney sweeps have a few routes they can take to earn their CSIA certification. First, sweeps have a set of books to study on the following subjects:
- proper care and maintenance of fireplaces,
- building and safety codes that apply to fireplaces,
- heating stoves and chimneys.
Sweeps can then participate in a 7-day online review, a one-day in-person review or attend the weeklong National Chimney Sweep Training School. At the end of their review or training, sweeps must sit through two exams to prove they have all the necessary knowledge for safely building, installing and caring for fireplaces, heating stoves, chimneys and vents.
What are the other benefits of CSIA certification?
The value of CSIA certification goes beyond just letting you know your sweep has been trained and educated. To retain their certification, sweeps must recertify every year. They can do this by either retaking their exams or taking continuing education courses to further their hearth and chimney knowledge. Additionally, to be a CSIA-certified chimney sweep, sweeps must commit to upholding the CSIA’s code of ethics for chimney sweeps. Among other things, the code of ethics binds sweeps to:
- use best practices when serving chimneys and hearth appliances,
- follow codes that pertain to fireplaces and chimneys,
- adhere to manufacturers’ recommendation when installing and caring for hearth products and to treating all customers fairly.
How do you know if your sweep is CSIA-certified?
Now that you know the value of using a CSIA-certified chimney sweep, you’ll want to know how to find a CSIA-certified sweep in your area. You can locate local CSIA-certified sweeps through the CSIA website. If you’re looking for a CSIA-certified chimney sweep in and around Asheville, Hendersonville, Mars Hill and Rutherfordton, look no further than Environmental Chimney Service! We hold our CSIA-certification dear, and we promise to use our training to provide the best care for your hearth and your chimney. Schedule your service appointment today!