Contractor Qualifications

Midwest Chimney Safety Council

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GOOD NEWS
As of Jan 1, 2009 75% or higher efficiency wood stoves and inserts qualify for a $300.00-$1500
tax credit to consumers.

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President:
Janie Rickord
Alpine Chimney Services

Vice President:
Marge Padgitt

Secretary/Treasurer:
Sally Scott

CONSUMER - PROTECT YOURSELF WITH THIS INFORMATION!

Remember that there are NO licensing requirements in most states and cities, and you are on your own to choose the best company to evaluate, sweep, or repair your chimney.

No matter WHO does the work on your chimney, please make sure they have the following qualifications for your protection:

CERTIFICATION—
either a CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep Certification from the Chimney Safety Institute of America (check www.csia.org) and/or NFI Wood or Gas Specialist Certification(s) from the National Fireplace Institute (check www.nficertified.org) should be minimum requirements for doing any type of chimney repair work or stove installation. These two certifications are the ONLY national training and testing programs in place. Both require testing every three years.
LICENSING—A Master Mechanical License is required in many cities to do relining or chimney restoration or rebuilding work. Ask to see proof of this license before allowing a contractor to do work on your chimney (if it is required).
Request A certificate of insurance for Workmen’s Comp. If an employee gets hurt on the job at YOUR HOUSE, and they don’t have Workmen’s Comp, you may be liable for hospital bills, and if serious, long-term care. You can avoid this by hiring a company that has Workers Compensation Insurance.
Request a certificate of insurance for Liability Insurance. This protects you if a worker accidentally damages your property while working.
Bonded employees. Make sure the company you work with is bonded—this is extra insurance against theft by employees.
check the Better Business Bureau to see if there are any complaints issued against a company prior to doing business with them.
Ask how long the company has been doing business. Chances are, the more experienced a company is, the better qualified they are to do the job. Check prior year yellow pages if you really want to investigate the years they have been in business.
Ask what other types of training and certifications the company and employees have such as a Master Mechanical License (required for relining in some cities), HVAC degree, or other education.
Ask the method and what type of equipment will be used to do the job. For instance, for relining a fireplace flue or masonry work, scaffolding is the OSHA approved equipment to use. Anyone who works off of ladders for large jobs is taking a huge risk, and it is against OSHA requirements. Remember the Contractor's risk is YOUR risk if they don't have insurance!
Check out the company's website - you can learn a lot about them from there.
Ask your friends and family for a referral - sometimes this is the best way to find out if a company is professional in their work.
Deposits are usually required and are customary - but beware if a contractor asks you to pay for the work in advance in its entirety.
You can't always go by lowest price - remember that just as with anything you usually get what you pay for.
Home inspectors and engineers DO NOT get training in chimney inspections, sweeping, evaluation of chimney damages UNLESS they go outside their professional training to do so. Keep this in mind when going outside the chimney industry for a second opinion.

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