Frequently Asked Questions

We lay down protective coverings, inspect the accessible parts of your system with lights and mirrors, run brushes and rods up the flue to remove creosote and debris, and vacuum the firebox and smoke shelf. The whole process takes 45 minutes to 90 minutes for a standard fireplace in Easton. We finish with a written condition report. If you opted for camera inspection, you'll see the footage on a tablet before we pack up. No mess left behind - we bring our own vacuums with HEPA filtration.

The National Fire Protection Association recommends annual inspection, with cleaning as needed. Most Easton homeowners who burn wood two or more times per week need a sweep every year. If you're a weekend-only user in Upper Nazareth or Wilson, every two years may suffice. The real test is creosote buildup, which varies with wood moisture, burning habits, and your chimney's draft. We can tell you your actual condition during the first visit and recommend a personalized schedule. Skipping too long in our damp Pennsylvania winters risks glazed creosote that's harder and more expensive to remove.

Plan on 45 to 90 minutes for a single fireplace with standard buildup. A level-2 camera inspection adds 30 to 45 minutes. Homes in Springfield and East Allen with multiple flues or complicated venting for wood stoves and furnaces can run two hours. We book generous windows so we're never rushing through your job to get to the next one. We'll be there when we say, and we'll stay until it's done right.

Clear a path from your door to the fireplace, remove ashes from the firebox if there's more than an inch, and avoid burning a fire for 24 hours before we arrive. In Easton's older homes near the river, that also means making sure we can access your basement if the cleanout is down there. Don't worry about moving heavy furniture - we'll handle protection and placement. If you have questions about a gas insert or pellet stove in Forks or Bath, mention it when booking so we bring the right equipment.

Yes, immediately. There's no curing time or drying period after a standard sweep. The only exception is if we performed masonry repairs or applied a liner sealant product like HeatShield, which needs 24 to 48 hours to cure. We'd tell you explicitly if that applied to your job. Most Easton homeowners in Williams and Nazareth who book their September sweep are burning that first fire the same evening once the temperature drops.

We source quality components from Famco, Copperfield, and DuraFlex depending on your specific application. Famco caps and dampers hold up well in the Lehigh Valley's freeze-thaw cycles. Copperfield supplies our stainless steel flexible liners for relining jobs in Easton's older masonry chimneys. DuraFlex handles the heavy-duty applications for wood-burning inserts in Bath and Hellertown. We don't install whatever's cheapest - we match the material to your fuel type, flue size, and local building requirements. Every part comes with manufacturer documentation we file with your service record.

HeatShield is a cerfractory flue liner resurfacing system we use when your clay tile liner has minor cracking, spalling, or gaps but doesn't need full replacement. We apply it with specialized tools that create a smooth, insulated surface rated for high temperatures. In Easton homes built between 1920 and 1960, we see a lot of clay liners that are structurally sound but have deteriorated mortar joints. HeatShield can restore them without the cost and disruption of a full stainless steel relining. We only recommend it after camera inspection confirms your liner qualifies - about half the candidates we evaluate in Fountain Hill and Eastlawn Gardens turn out to need full replacement instead.

Yes. A proper cap keeps rain, animals, and debris out of your flue while letting smoke escape. In Easton, we see significant water damage from uncapped chimneys, especially in the hill neighborhoods of Wilson and Nazareth where wind drives rain sideways. We measure on-site and install stainless steel or copper caps from Famco and Copperfield with proper spark arrestors. The right cap pays for itself by preventing the liner damage and crown deterioration that lead to major repairs.

Every pro working under our name is required to hold the license and insurance Pennsylvania requires for chimney service work. Russell Haines built this Easton branch with trained journeymen, not day laborers. We carry general liability and workers' compensation coverage, and we're happy to provide certificate of insurance documentation for your records. The chimney industry has no single federal licensing body, so we pursue voluntary CSIA (Chimney Safety Institute of America) certification for our lead technicians. Ask about current certifications when you call.

We handle permit applications for any work that requires Easton city inspection, including structural repairs, liner replacements, and new chimney construction. Most routine sweeps and level-2 inspections don't trigger permit requirements. In Northampton County jurisdictions like Bath and Upper Nazareth, permit rules vary slightly - we know the local building departments and file correctly the first time. You won't get stuck with a stop-work order because paperwork got mishandled.

Our sweeps train under experienced journeymen before working solo. The curriculum covers NFPA 211 standards, proper use of rotary cleaning systems, camera inspection protocols, and masonry fundamentals. Russell Haines insists on this because half our work in Easton involves identifying problems the homeowner can't see - and that takes judgment that only comes with supervised field experience. We also require ongoing education as new liner products and venting standards emerge. Krafted right, every time.

Extinguish the fire safely if you can, open windows for ventilation, and call us at (610) 756-1504 during our business hours: Monday through Sunday, 7:30 AM to 8:00 PM. Smoke inside means a blocked flue, negative air pressure, or a damaged liner - all genuine hazards. Don't use the fireplace again until we've inspected it. If you have an active chimney fire with flames or loud cracking, evacuate and call 911 first. After the fire department clears the scene, we can assess structural damage and document for your insurance.

Yes. We remove nesting birds, squirrels, raccoons, and the occasional bat from Easton chimneys, then install a proper cap to prevent return visits. Spring in the Lehigh Valley is prime nesting season - we get calls from Williams and Springfield almost weekly in April and May. We don't handle live trapping ourselves; if there's an active animal present, we coordinate with local wildlife removal specialists, then clean and inspect the flue before you use it again. Chimney swifts are federally protected during nesting season, so timing matters.

We schedule seven days a week, 7:30 AM to 8:00 PM, and we add capacity in September and October when Easton homeowners remember winter is coming. The earlier you book, the better your choice of dates. By mid-October, we're typically booking two to three weeks out. We don't promise same-day or next-day service because we'd rather do the job right than rush through it. For households that burned all last season without a sweep, we recommend calling before Labor Day.

Our standard service area includes Forks, Wilson, Upper Nazareth, Williams, Nazareth, Eastlawn Gardens, Bath, Hellertown, Fountain Hill, East Allen, and Springfield. We grew with these communities over our twelve years here. For locations beyond this radius, call and we'll tell you honestly if the travel time makes sense or if we can recommend a trusted colleague closer to you. We'd rather lose a job than do a rushed one.

We apply The Keystone Standard to every job: 90 days, in writing, no arguing. If something we did isn't right, we come back and fix it. No paperwork battles, no "read the fine print." This applies to sweeps, inspections, repairs, and installations. For manufacturer-warrantied products like DuraFlex liners or HeatShield resurfacing, we also pass through the full manufacturer guarantee and help you file if needed. We've stood behind our work since Russell Haines opened this branch in 2014, and we plan to be here long enough to honor it again if we have to.

We document everything with photos and explain your options in plain English. Some problems, like minor crown cracks, can wait a season if the chimney isn't actively leaking. Others, like a separated flue liner or deteriorated masonry near the roofline, need attention before you burn again. We never invent urgency. In Easton's wet climate, we've learned that showing homeowners the actual camera footage builds more trust than any sales pitch. You'll know what's critical, what can wait, and what it costs either way.

No honest chimney company can guarantee that, because fire risk depends on how you burn after we leave. What we guarantee is that we'll remove the creosote and obstructions present at the time of service, identify any structural hazards, and tell you exactly what condition we found. If you burn properly seasoned hardwood, keep your cap in place, and follow our maintenance schedule, your risk drops dramatically. The 90-day Keystone Standard covers our workmanship; safe burning habits are yours to maintain. We'll teach you both when we visit.

Call us. We'll make it right under The Keystone Standard guarantee. In twelve years serving Easton, we've learned that most complaints stem from miscommunication, not bad work - a technician didn't explain something clearly, or expectations about timing weren't aligned. Russell Haines reviews every callback personally. Standing behind it means no arguing, no runaround. We want to be the chimney company your neighbors in Nazareth and Hellertown recommend without hesitation, and that only happens when we fix our rare mistakes fast.

Written by Russell Haines, Owner at Hearthstone Chimney Co., serving Easton and the Lehigh Valley since 2014.