Someone was up on the housetop Wednesday. The merry blue eyes belonged not to Santa Claus, but a pair of chimney sweeps hard at work.
Clay Thompson and Bryce Cheshire stood on the roof of the Land Park home, where they worked together to replace a cracked chimney flue. The two are certified, full-time chimney sweeps employed with Ryan Brothers Chimney Sweeping, one of the area's oldest chimney and fireplace service businesses.
"I think a lot of people are surprised there are chimney sweeps around," said Thompson, 34, of Natomas. "I meet people and I say, 'I'm a chimney sweep,' and they say, 'Really?' "
Many people have never seen chimney sweeps in action. They might not recognize Thompson and Cheshire, who dress in long-sleeved navy blue shirts, pants, gloves and work boots.
"A lot of people ask me where my top hat is. A lot of people ask if we sing and dance," said Cheshire, 27, of Citrus Heights. "We don't do any of that stuff."
Their schedules are packed solid until Christmas Eve. Appointments have been booked three to five weeks in advance since Nov. 1.
"Everyone wants to get it done for the holidays," Thompson said."No one thinks about it until they want to have a fire."
The company recommends people get chimneys and fireplaces cleaned or "swept" and repaired in the summer to take advantage of lower rates and avoid delays in using fireplaces. A fireplace must be cold before it can be serviced, so it must not be used at least a day in advance. The busy season for cleaning and repairs began in early October due to cold weather.
"This time of year, as you can imagine, the demand is very high," said Amie Ryan, who took over the family business at 5710 Auburn Blvd. after her father died two years ago.
Her parents, Edie and John Ryan, started the company in 1978 after he read an article about becoming a chimney sweep in "Mother Earth" magazine. John Ryan made house calls, while Edie ran the office.
"When the company first started, we did do the top hats and stuff. But we felt like it took away from the seriousness of the work," Amie Ryan said. "We have them here at the office, but we don't wear them."
Ryan Brothers is now one of the area's three biggest chimney sweep companies. They employ two full-time sweeps, also known as chimney "technicians," and a part-time sweep – Amie's 23-year-old brother, JP, who is in college. There are about nine chimney sweeps offering independent services.
On a wet, gray Wednesday morning, Thompson and Cheshire took turns breaking off pieces of a 12-foot-long terra cotta chimney flue liner that had cracked and fractured in a chimney fire. Their plan was to replace the terra cotta flue with stainless steel.
Thompson has worked as a chimney sweep for 11 years and is the only certified fireplace inspector in Sacramento and its suburbs. State and local laws don't require certification – only business licenses. Cheshire has worked as a chimney sweep for five years after training with Thompson.
Using a hammer or a pole with a metal wedge, they dislodged pieces of the flue, then pounded them into smaller chunks they sent flying down the chimney. The fireplace inside Pam and Gary Baker's home had been covered with cardboard and plastic sheeting. An electric vacuum hose, its end resting in the firebox, continuously sucked out dust.
Chimney service includes brushing down the flue and fireplace or "firebox" and visually inspecting the flue, firebox and damper. The cost to service a one-story, open fireplace is about $135.
Sacramento doesn't have a wood-burning ban. However, Sacramento County doesn't allow fireplaces to be used on bad air quality days due to fog or an inversion of warm air below cooler air from Nov. 1 - March 1. Newer-style fireplaces are exempt. Residents can check by phone or website, sign up for e-mail updates or call Ryan Brothers to see if they can use a fireplace on any given day, Ryan said.
Regular maintenance can help prevent problems like creosote buildup, which can cause chimney fires if ignited, and flue liner cracks caused by chimney fires. Chimney fires can be caused by the wrong materials being burned in the fireplace – often wrapping paper or Christmas trees. A spark or just intense heat can light creosote.
A normal fire temperature of 600 degrees can spike up to 2,500 degrees in five minutes during a chimney fire. Terra cotta tiles don't have enough time to expand and instead, crack, Thompson said.
The tools of their trade include wire- and soft-bristle brushes, flexible poles, vacuum cleaners, respirators, spotlights and flashlights.
Chimneys can be cleaned either from the top down or from the bottom up. Thompson and Cheshire don't climb down into most chimneys, because most chimneys are too small.
But that has been necessary at times. Thompson has climbed into flues that were big enough – 17 inches by 17 inches, or 21 inches by 21 inches – to do repairs. Chimneys were bigger in years past when fireplaces were used for cooking, especially in the grand country estates of Europe.
However, Thompson said he doesn't like to get dirty.
"I think most people are surprised at how clean we are," he said. "I go into houses where people have laid sheets over everything. People are always surprised when we come in and leave and there's no mess."
A Chimney Sweep's Fireplace Tips
1. Always make sure the damper is open before you light a fire. Use a flashlight and look up into the fireplace to see. If you get a face full of smoke after starting a fire, chances are good the damper is closed.
2. Don't burn Christmas trees, or chunks of Christmas trees, in your fireplace. Christmas trees burn fast and hot and can start a chimney fire.
3. Don't use paper to light a fire. Lightweight paper can be pulled up a flue while flaming and start a chimney fire. Instead, use firestarters. Twigs can also work, but leaves are too smoky and don't produce enough heat.
4. Don't burn color newspaper ads or household trash in the fireplace. These can produce dangerous fumes and start a chimney fire.
5. Burn the cleanest, best wood you can get.
6. Don't build the fire too big. Make sure you can see the top of the flames in your fireplace. "Some people have to get a big bonfire burning. Then they wonder why they have fires in their chimney," said Clay Thompson, a chimney sweep with Ryan Brothers Chimney Sweeping.
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