Chimney sweeps in Delaware County, PA: older homes, borough rules and what to check
Updated · KeystoneProGuide editorial team
What should Delaware County homeowners know about chimney sweeps?
That the rules are made borough by borough, that a good part of the housing is old, and that most of the chimneys are venting gas. Delaware County is divided into forty-nine municipalities, and at least two of them have written chimney duties into their codes. More than one home in five was built before 1940. And gas is the main heating fuel in 62.6 percent of occupied homes, which makes the furnace flue a chimney question for most households here.
Which Delaware County boroughs have chimney rules of their own?
Two were found for this guide.
Yeadon ties a chimney certification to the sale of a house. Its code says that on a transfer of ownership no certificate of occupancy may be issued before full compliance with borough ordinances, and its list of specific requirements includes a heating system certification, a roof certification and a chimney certification. A seller in Yeadon should ask the borough's code enforcement office what form the certification takes and who may sign it before putting the house on the market.
Prospect Park goes further than any other local code read for this guide, by setting a cleaning schedule. Its chapter on heating units, adopted in 1981, covers fixed heaters that burn wood, coal, gas or oil and were installed after that date. It requires a permit from the Building Inspector before one is installed and an inspection before it is used. It then says the owner shall examine each chimney and flue at least once every six weeks during the heating season and once before the season starts, and that flues and chimneys shall be cleaned at least once each year. The chapter also says all wood burned shall be dry, and sets a fine of up to $300 for each offense.
Two examples out of forty-nine municipalities are not a survey, so ask your own borough or township what it requires before a sale or a rebuild.
Why does the age of Delaware County's housing matter?
The Census Bureau estimates that 22.1 percent of the county's 229,715 housing units were first built in 1939 or earlier, and only 3.5 percent since 2010, against 6.1 percent for Pennsylvania. The county's own history page explains where much of the older stock stands: there was considerable residential development after the First World War in Upper Darby, Drexel Hill, Havertown and Springfield, and more after the Second in places such as Marple Township.
Two points follow for a chimney of that age.
- It may not be lined. CSIA, the trade's certification body, describes masonry flues as either an older, unlined type or tile lined to meet current safety codes. In a Delaware County house built before 1940, a first inspection should settle which you have.
- The brickwork has had a long life. This Old House estimates that a well-built and maintained brick chimney can last 50 to 100 years, and notes that the stack above the roofline takes the most weather. A chimney from the building boom after the First World War is, on that estimate, an old one, and cracked mortar joints or white staining on the brick are the outward signs to look for.
Most homes here heat with gas, so does the chimney still need a sweep?
It needs an inspection, and the gas figure is the reason to take that seriously. Beside the 62.6 percent of Delaware County homes on gas, the Census Bureau counts 22.9 percent on electricity and 13.2 percent on fuel oil. The statewide gas share is 56.4 percent.
CSIA's answer on gas flues is that they should be inspected every year, because a flue can be blocked by bird nests or other debris and because modern furnaces can have problems when vented through flues built for older ones. It adds a point that bears on older suburbs in particular: many gas appliances use chimneys that once served oil furnaces, and clay liners in those chimneys can flake off under corrosive conditions and block the flue.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission said much the same in a 1990 release. Where heating has been converted from oil or coal to gas, it said, chimney inspections are especially important, because soot and debris left in the chimney can block the escape of carbon monoxide. Its advice was to have the chimney inspected yearly and to ask the heating contractor to include the venting, since contractors do not normally check it.
Who can you turn to in Delaware County if a job goes wrong?
The county runs its own office. Delaware County's Office of Consumer Affairs offers voluntary mediation and takes complaints about home repair and remodeling, and refers suspected fraud to the District Attorney or the state Attorney General. It is in the Government Center Building at 201 West Front Street in Media, and its number is 610-891-4865.
Registration is a state matter. The Attorney General's contractor search can be filtered to Delaware County and lists Chimney Sweep as a type of work. What Pennsylvania requires of chimney sweeps explains what a registration proves, and how to choose a chimney sweep covers the private certifications. Published prices are in the cost guide, and businesses serving the county are on the Delaware County chimney sweeps page.
Sources
- Code of the Borough of Yeadon, Chapter 300, Article II: Administration, Enforcement and Penalty, Borough of Yeadon, Delaware County
- Code of the Borough of Prospect Park, Chapter 95: Heating Units, Borough of Prospect Park, Delaware County
- Your County at a Glance: History, Delaware County
- Consumer Affairs/Weights & Measures, Delaware County
- 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Narrative Profile: Delaware County, Pennsylvania, U.S. Census Bureau
- 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Narrative Profile: Pennsylvania, U.S. Census Bureau
- Preventing Chimney Fires, Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA)
- Avoiding Carbon Monoxide Hazards, Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA)
- Homeowner Resources, Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA)
- Inspect Home Furnace System For Hazards, Carbon Monoxide, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
- How Much Does Chimney Repair Cost?, This Old House
- Home Improvement Contractor Search, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General