On Sun, 28 Jul 2013 21:20:21 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

Hi,
I know my chimney needs repair, but every time the chimney sweep guys come to clean the flue, they tell me something different (I need "Chimney Saver" coating, or I need a "Crown Seal" or something costing $300+ labor)

I doubt if that is enough. I think you need a Royal Christening,
which runs about $10,000 plus labor.

and I fear being scammed.

I know how you feel. The first guy I called, just to clean the stove
pipe chimneys (fireplace and furnace) , I had no idea what the price
should be, so I called another one and he was cheaper and could come
within a couple days.

He told me the stove pipe from the oil furnace to the chimney had
creosote and it was rusting and he couldn't clean that chimney until
it was replaced, at $600. I said I had to think about it. He charged
me for the fireplace, but not the furnace. That was good.

I called the first guy who was about $20 more and I told him, "I
thought only wood had creosote". He said, "No oil has it too, but you
don't have anay" and "Your pipes are getting old (33 years) but they
don't need replacing yet." and he charged me for the cleaning and
left. He was the owner and sole cleaner, iirc.

Later I saw ratings for the guy who wanted to replace things, and he
had a couple serious complaints, one mentioned the same phone
receptionist I had talked to (who told me about the creosote when the
guy who came out hadn't mentioned it.) This wasn't Angie's list**
but Yahoo or some other phone number listing.

**Angie's list annoyed me, because I filled out the whole first page
before it said that it cost money.

Can you take a look at these photos? All opinions welcome.

I'm not beyond a DIY project, but it's kind of high and not too comfortable on ladder for extended duration.

Thanks!

http://i899.photobucket.com/albums/a...psbf851051.jpg
http://i899.photobucket.com/albums/a...pse5d0c0d1.jpg
http://i899.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps02c2565b.jpg
http://i899.photobucket.com/albums/a...pscf5fd75f.jpg

What the others said.