Frequently Asked Questions

A technician inspects the firebox, damper, smoke shelf, flue, and exterior crown, then runs brushes through the flue to remove creosote and soot. We protect the floor around the fireplace with drop cloths and use a HEPA vacuum to keep dust from entering your living space. After the sweep, we do a visual inspection and, if you have a liner or moisture concern, we may recommend a camera inspection. The camera shows you exactly what's happening inside the flue. You see the evidence before you decide on anything.

Most standard cleanings in Marietta take 60 to 90 minutes. Heavily built-up flues, second-story roof access, or difficult angles in older Marietta Square area homes can push that closer to two hours. If we're adding a cap or making minor repairs, the visit runs longer and we tell you the total before starting. We schedule in windows because we don't rush a roof inspection. Every job gets the time it needs to be done correctly. We treat your home like it belongs to someone we know.

The National Fire Protection Association standard says chimneys should be swept at least once a year, and more often with heavy use. In Marietta, most homeowners burn from November through March, which means an annual sweep before the first fire is the sensible schedule. Burning unseasoned wood, using the fireplace as a primary heat source, or burning pine in open hearths all increase creosote production. If you hear a crackling sound in the flue, that's creosote igniting. Book before burning season. Call (229) 350-8952 to get on the schedule.

A professional sweep should not leave dust in your living room. We lay drop cloths in front of the firebox, seal the fireplace opening with a barrier during brushing, and run a HEPA vacuum throughout. The goal is that you can't tell anyone was there except for a clean chimney. Homes in historic Marietta districts like Whitlock Avenue have older, tighter flues where dust control matters even more. We take that seriously. Your floors, furniture, and air stay clean.

Yes, but gas fireplaces are a different animal. Gas logs don't create creosote the way wood does, but they do produce soot and mineral deposits that build up on logs and in the flue. Prefabricated gas fireplaces in Vinings and East Cobb homes often need annual inspection more than sweeping. The venting, gaskets, and glass seals matter. If your gas logs burn with a yellow or orange flame instead of a clean blue one, that's a sign of buildup. We clean and inspect both vented and ventless gas fireplaces in the Marietta area.

Sometimes. Smoking fireplaces usually trace to one of four causes: a clogged flue, a closed or broken damper, improper firebox-to-flue sizing, or negative pressure inside the house. A cleaning fixes the first one. But if the problem is drafting or sizing, we'll find it during the inspection and explain it plainly. Homes in Marietta with newer, tightly-sealed windows and doors often create negative pressure that pulls smoke into the room. The fix could be a vent or an air supply, not a sweep. We'll tell you what you actually need.

You don't need to be home the entire time, but we ask that an adult be present for the first few minutes. The technician will show their photo ID badge at the door, confirm the name we sent you, and walk the work area with you before starting. After that, you can go about your day. The job happens mostly on the roof and inside the fireplace. When we're done, we'll walk you through what we found. This is the Threshold Standard: you know exactly who is at your door before they step inside.

Yes. We install stainless steel liners and repair or resurface existing ones. For resurfacing, we use HeatShield, a product that restores damaged flue tiles without a full liner replacement. HeatShield is a good fit for Masonry chimneys in older Marietta neighborhoods where full replacement is disruptive. If the damage is too far gone, a new stainless liner is the honest answer. We don't recommend a liner unless the camera footage shows why it's needed. You see the damage with your own eyes before you spend a dollar.

HeatShield is a resurfacing system that fills cracks and gaps in the existing flue tiles, restoring the flue to service without demolition. A full liner replacement involves dropping a new stainless steel liner down the existing chimney. HeatShield works well for minor to moderate flue tile damage and costs less. Full liners are the right call for extensive cracking or old, unlined chimneys common in homes built before World War II around the Marietta Square. We stock HeatShield materials and will explain clearly which job your chimney actually needs.

We install caps from Gelco, Olympia Chimney, and Famco, all of which are respected names in chimney components. Gelco makes multi-flue caps that hold up well to Cobb County weather. Olympia Chimney is a solid choice for standard single-flue and decorative applications. Famco caps are widely used for stainless steel liners and prefabricated systems. The brand we recommend depends on your flue size, roof exposure, and whether you're fighting animals or water. We'll choose the cap that fits your situation, not the one sitting on the truck.

Both. A sticky or broken damper is one of the most common problems we find in Marietta fireplaces. Sometimes a damper just needs cleaning and adjusting. Sometimes the cable is snapped or the cast iron is warped from years of heat, and replacement is the only honest option. We also install top-sealing dampers, which close the flue at the top instead of the throat. Top-sealing dampers are a great upgrade for older homes near the Marietta Square, where original dampers rarely form a tight seal and energy loss adds up through the winter.

Every pro working under the Alcott Chimney Marietta name is required to hold the license and insurance their state requires. That's a condition of working with us, not an occasional preference. The Threshold Standard means each technician is background-checked, identity-verified, photo-badged, and sent to you by name and photo before the visit. You can vet the person coming to your door before they arrive. For many Marietta homeowners, especially those home alone during the day, that changes the whole experience of letting a contractor inside.

Ruben Castellano leads Alcott Chimney Marietta. He runs the local team and is the person accountable to the Threshold Standard in this market. Ruben Castellano isn't a corporate name on a website; he's the local face of the branch, responsible for how the technicians show up and how jobs get handled across Marietta and the surrounding Cobb County service area. Customers who want to know who they're really hiring can ask for him by name. That's the point of the promise: you can vet first.

Alcott Chimney Marietta is a local branch of Alcott Chimney Sweep, which is part of the Threshold Group family. Each location, including ours, is independently owned and operated. We're a Marietta business working to a national standard, not a distant corporation pretending to be local. The brand provides the systems, the vetting, and the guarantee. The team, the knowledge of Cobb County chimneys, and the trucks in your driveway are local. That combination is exactly what the Threshold Standard is built for: local accountability backed by a name you can hold to a promise.

Alcott is an old English name that means "the old cottage." It's a homey name for a trade that has always been about keeping the hearth safe. For 24 years, since 2002, the name has carried the same idea: a clean, safe fireplace, swept by someone you can vet first. When the Alcott standard came to Marietta, it arrived with that same meaning. The cottage may be in Georgia instead of the English countryside now, but the principle doesn't change. Know who is at your door. Know the price before the work starts.

Call 911 first, always. A chimney fire sounds like a freight train roaring in the flue, often with visible flames or dense smoke from the chimney top. Get everyone out of the house. Do not open the fireplace doors, because the rush of oxygen can intensify the fire. Once the fire department has cleared the scene, do not use the fireplace again until a professional has inspected it. Chimney fires crack flue tiles and cause hidden structural damage. Call us at (229) 350-8952 and we'll inspect everything before your next burn.

It depends on when and how you smell it. A campfire smell in the room during or right after a fire usually means a drafting problem pushing smoke inside. That needs attention quickly, because where smoke goes, carbon monoxide can follow. A smell that only appears on humid summer days is different: creosote absorbs moisture and releases odor, which a good cleaning usually fixes. If the smell comes with a headache, dizziness, or nausea, leave the house and call 911. Then call us to inspect the chimney before you use it again.

We'll do our best to fit you in. During peak burning season, October through January, the schedule in Marietta fills up fast, especially for inspections on older homes near the Square and in East Cobb. The coordinator who answers your call will give you the earliest honest window based on our real availability, not an invented promise. For the busy season, the best move is to book your annual sweep in August or September before the rush. Phone ahead, get on the calendar, and don't wait until the first cold snap. Call (229) 350-8952.

Yes, and it's the risk that concerns us most. A blocked flue, a broken damper, or a cracked heat exchanger can push carbon monoxide into your home, and it's odorless and colorless. Every home should have working CO detectors on each floor, especially near sleeping areas. If you burn wood, check the batteries twice a year. If a detector goes off, leave the house and call 911. We find blocked flues regularly in Marietta homes, often from animal nests or creosote collapse. A clean, inspected chimney is the prevention. It's not dramatic; it's just the truth.

Every job is covered by Threshold Verified, and the promise is simple: every technician is background-checked, identity-verified, photo-badged, and sent to you by name and photo before the visit. If anyone arrives who you were not told to expect, that visit is on us and we make it right. Beyond that, we stand behind our workmanship. If a cap we installed fails due to installation, or a liner we installed has an issue, we'll return and address it. Specific warranty terms for parts like HeatShield follow the manufacturer's coverage, and we explain that before you buy.

Threshold Verified is the standard behind the Alcott promise. It's a code with five parts: background-check and identity-verify every technician; send the tech's name and photo before the visit; show a photo ID badge at the door every time; arrive in a clean, marked uniform; and put the price in writing before any work starts. That code carries the same weight in Marietta as it does in every market where Threshold Group operates. It exists for homeowners who want to know exactly who is walking through the door. The guarantee backs it up.

Yes. The price goes in writing before any work begins, and that's the price you pay. If we find something during the job that changes the scope, like hidden masonry damage behind a wall, we stop and show you. We don't proceed on changed terms without your say-so. That's the Threshold Standard at work: written price, no surprises, nothing done without your approval. For Marietta homeowners who have dealt with contractors that inflate bills mid-job, this policy is usually the thing that makes them call us back. It's just how we operate.

Tell us. Call (229) 350-8952, talk to the coordinator, and explain exactly what's wrong. We'll send someone back to look at it. If our workmanship was the issue, we make it right at no charge. If the problem is pre-existing damage we already documented, we'll show you the photos and talk through the options. The guarantee isn't a marketing slogan; it's the promise stamped on every page. We'd rather fix a problem than lose your trust. Marietta is a word-of-mouth town, and our reputation rides on making things right.

Call (229) 350-8952. Our coordinator will ask a few questions about your fireplace, your home, and when you last had the flue swept, then schedule you during our open hours: Monday through Friday 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM and Sunday 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM. We're closed Saturday. Before the visit, we'll send the technician's name and photo. At the door, the tech shows a photo ID badge and walks the job with you before starting. The price comes in writing. Everything else flows from that. Estimates are free.

Written by Ruben Castellano, Owner at Alcott Chimney Marietta, serving Marietta since 2002.