Chimney sweeping in North Seattle, WA

Brick Tudors in Wedgwood, post-war ramblers in Lake City and Northgate, and a wave of new townhomes with roof-vented dryers. Lots of finished basements with older carpet. A wood-burning fireplace or stove in North Seattle that runs through a Puget Sound winter puts a season's worth of creosote on the flue, and creosote is what chimney fires are made of. We sweep with rotary rods and brushes sized to the flue, full containment at the firebox, and a visual inspection of the firebox, damper, smoke shelf and flue. We could tell the same story about a dozen North Seattle addresses.

What North Seattle homes bring us

Around Northgate, Lake City and Wedgwood we sweep masonry fireplaces, wood stoves and inserts, factory-built metal fireplaces and pellet vents, and remove the occasional bird's nest before recommending a screened cap. That is a typical week for us in and around North Seattle.

For chimney sweeping in North Seattle that means dealing with older homes with masonry chimneys and wood stoves that run hard through the wet season. A large slice of the city live here across zip codes 98103, 98115, 98117, 98125, 98133, 98177, and the neighborhoods we visit most are Northgate, Lake City, Wedgwood, Maple Leaf, Bitter Lake and Broadview.

Seattle is the shortest drive of any city we serve, which is why same-day availability is best here and why a van is rarely more than an hour from a Seattle address on any given day.

Neighborhood by neighborhood

• Homes in Northgate tend to be larger, so chimney sweeping there is usually a longer job than in a typical single-system house.
• Older Lake City homes sometimes have additions or retrofits that changed how the system runs, and that is exactly the kind of detail the tech checks before quoting chimney sweeping.
• A lot of Wedgwood homes have not had chimney sweeping done since they were built, and the difference once it is finally done tends to surprise people.
• Maple Leaf is on the same route day as the rest of North Seattle, and neighbors who book the same week are grouped together.
• Bitter Lake sees enough seasonal humidity that the system there benefits from chimney sweeping on a tighter schedule than a drier neighborhood needs.

From North Seattle the van usually continues to Shoreline (about 32 minutes from our yard), Lake Forest Park (about 34 minutes from our yard), Kenmore (about 35 minutes from our yard), Juanita (about 32 minutes from our yard) on the same day, which is how chimney sweeping in North Seattle stays at our base rate: the drive is shared across the route.

Why it matters here

The NFPA recommends an annual inspection for any chimney in regular use. You get a written note of what we found, useful for insurance or a home sale, and a referral if something needs a mason. North Seattle customers describe it to us the same way, almost word for word.

Summer is the easiest time to get an appointment and the best time for a pre-sale inspection. We hear a version of this from North Seattle every few weeks.

Jobs like yours

A homeowner in an older house had not had the chimney swept in years and noticed smoke coming back into the room. The smoke shelf was packed with fallen creosote. Swept, cleared, inspected, and safe to use again. Nothing about that is unusual for North Seattle — we see it often.

Locally owned, not a franchise

Quite Clean Home Services is one family's business, not a franchise territory. The owner lives here, answers the after-hours phone himself, and the techs who clean chimney sweeping in North Seattle are the same people customers name in reviews — Marcel, Shane, Nick, Arquimedes. There is no call center, no franchise fee built into the price, and no manager in another state deciding what gets upsold at the door. When we say the quote before we start is the number on the receipt, that is because the person who gave you the quote is the person who owns the company.

How the visit goes

Every chimney sweeping visit in North Seattle follows the same order: protect the room first, report last, and 3 steps between that the tech will explain as he goes. Chimney sweeps pair with carpet cleaning in the same room, because the hearth area is where soot ends up. Ask around North Seattle and you will hear a similar story from a neighbor.

What we will tell you honestly

We do a visual inspection. A full camera inspection and any repair — liner, crown, masonry — is a specialist's job. We would rather say that up front in North Seattle than surprise you at the door.

Pricing in North Seattle

There is no coupon price for North Seattle and no list of add-ons at the door. Chimney Sweeping here is quoted as a whole job — a flat rate for a standard single-flue sweep with inspection — and because North Seattle is only about 30 minutes out, we can often fit it in the same day.