3 Men and a Truck

Chad - Victoria, MN 55386
3424 days ago

2nd Generation Chimneys is owned by a 2nd Generation Chimney Sweep- David Pixley. His dad used to own another popular chimney sweeping business and has since passed away. You can find all sorts of articles about David's youth as a chimney sweeps son and his top hat moment. I had just bought a house with a chimney, the home inspector had recommended a sweeping, and I had never used a wooden fireplace before so I figured you couldn't go wrong with David. At $269 for an inspection and cleaning, it was more expensive than the other companies, but it was almost Spring time so they were offering $40 off. I filled out a form for an appointment, gave them flexible times, and asked for David. Rather than saying David could or couldn't come out, they said they would do their best to send him out. They gave me a few times and dates, and I told them "whatever works best for David." I said they could reschedule if needed. They signed me up for the next morning and David did not show up, but a crew of 3 (Tyler, Troy, and Mathias) did in a huge truck instead. They said usually just one person comes but they had a bigger job that morning (chimney relining or something like that) and they stopped by afterwards. One of them had 5 yrs experience; he stayed inside with me and explained how to use and maintain the fireplace. Another had 20 yrs experience; he went out and inspected the crown. Another had 1 yr experience; he ran the videoscope. They were all certified sweeps. One had certifications in other things such dryer vent cleaning as well. Tyler showed me a couple of spider cracks at the back of the fireplace and asked me twice if I wanted to replaced the back fireplace panels for $1000. I said no, they were pretty small at the moment, and he said he probably wouldn't do it either but it might need replacing in a year or two. The only question he had trouble answering was about the brand and model of pre-manufactured fireplace. Initially he said he didn't know but it looked like the "Home Depot Special" which he said is cheap but generally well made. Upon further prodding, he looked closer and was able to find a badge. He said he didn't know much about the brand (Superior), other than he sees it a lot. A Google search showed it's owned by Lenox and the model is still made today. I was able to find a manual online. Buying the whole firebox new would cost $550 (plus installation). They offered $59 to clean the dryer vent since they were already out. A separate service trip would've costed $170 which is in line with coupons I've seen on Angie's List. I had been meaning to do it anyway since clothes were taking awhile to dry and the previous owners didn't do much maintenance. It turned out to be the best $59 I've spent on this house. They pulled out bucket loads of lint. It took them an hour or two to clean it. The dryer vent had also come apart somewhere around a light fixture. There's a chance it came apart while cleaning it but they fixed it either way. That lint filled dryer vent was a fire waiting to happen. They were knowledgeable, qualified, hard-working, and personable. The price was high for the inspection and sweeping, but low for the dryer vent cleaning. So I'm giving them 5 stars. They might want to brush up on brand knowledge though, that is a big part of repairing prefab chimneys. If David came out I might not be saying that though.