Does an insert need to be pulled out in order to sweep the chimney?
A very good question. If the insert has a stainless steel liner connected to it (this is a pipe that has been dropped down the chimney flue- the pipe runs the entire length of the chimney), then it does not need to be pulled out. OTHERWISE THE INSERT GETS PULLED. It is critical that the insert be pulled in order to properly clean the fireplace opening that the insert resides in. Inserts are notorius for creating chimney fires; they create a lot of soot build up. All companies charge more for cleaning an unlined insert due to the extra work of removing and re-installing the insert. Some less-than ethical sweeps have taken advantage of a customers lack of knowledge of the insert needing to be pulled-the customer just assumes that inserts are more difficult to clean for some reason. The sweep will run his brush down the chimney, but will not pull the insert. This sets the customer up for a potential chimney fire. Every year we get at least one customer whom,upon questioning, tells us that
