Chimney Sweep in Branchville, NJ
Chimney sweep service in Branchville, NJ for the closely built older houses of the borough, a few minutes up Route 206 from Newton.
Photo: Dougtone, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
A small borough built in the 1800s
Branchville is tiny, and it is entirely surrounded by Frankford Township. Its land was divided into building lots in the 1820s, and by 1844 the village already had thirty-two houses, mills, a school and a church. The railway arrived in 1869. Branchville Borough became its own municipality in 1898.
Because it was built up early and has little room to spread, much of the borough is old housing on tight lots. Steep roofs, tall brick chimneys and neighbours close on either side are normal.
Those conditions shape the work. A tall chimney on a steep roof has to be reached safely, and on a narrow lot a loose brick or a slipped cap can land on the house next door.
Sweeping tall chimneys on steep roofs
Many flues can be swept from inside the house, working up from the firebox with flexible rods. That keeps the job off a steep or slippery roof when the weather is poor.
The top still has to be seen. The crown, cap and upper courses of brick are checked from a ladder or the roof when conditions allow, since that is the part of a chimney that weathers fastest.
On an older village house it is worth asking about each flue in the stack. One may serve the fireplace, another the furnace or water heater, and both need to be clear.
Chimney services for Branchville homes
Branchville, New Jersey
The entire borough is covered, street by street, a short trip up Route 206. The map is there to show the service area. The business itself is in Newton.