Talking to a firefighter in Duluth made me rethink my whole approach to creosote

I was having coffee with a guy from the local fire station, just shooting the breeze. He told me they got called to a chimney fire last week, a real bad one that nearly took the whole house. He said, 'You know, we see it all the time. Homeowners think a cheap sweep is fine, but they don't get the full inspection.' He wasn't blaming us, but it hit me hard. I've been focused on the quick, clean job for years, getting the brush through and calling it good. But he described the buildup in the flue liner that a camera would have caught, stuff a standard brush might miss. Now I'm thinking I need to push the video inspection service way more, even if it costs a bit extra and some customers grumble. It's not just about cleaning the soot you can see, it's about finding the hidden risks. How do you guys balance offering a thorough check without scaring off price-sensitive customers?

3 comments

3 Comments

casey_barnes2mo ago

Ever try bundling the video check with the basic clean as a standard package? I started including a short camera scan with every job and just made it part of my base price. Most folks don't balk when it's not an extra charge, and seeing a quick clip of their flue makes the value clear. It turns a scary upsell into a normal part of the service.

tara_palmer22d ago

Stop overthinking it and just bake it in. I did the same thing last year, raised my base clean price by 20 bucks and threw the camera in. Told people it was a standard safety check, nothing extra. Most folks don't even notice the price bump if you frame it right and they love seeing the video. Just make sure you actually do the scan every time though, you don't want to get caught skipping it and have a claim later.

the_keith2mo ago

That's exactly how we got more people to say yes to the camera...