Chimney Sweep in Ogdensburg, NJ
Chimney sweep service in Ogdensburg, NJ for the houses along Main Street and the residential streets of this small former mining borough.
Photo: Mr. Matté, contact me , Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
A mining borough of twentieth-century houses
Ogdensburg was part of Sparta until 1914. It is named for Robert Ogden, its first settler, and for most of the last century its life centred on the Sterling Hill zinc mine, which is now a museum. The Borough of Ogdensburg covers a little over two square miles, with County Route 517 running through as Main Street.
The population grew steadily from the 1920s to about 1990, and the housing reflects that. Many homes are single-family houses from the middle decades of the century, typically built with a brick chimney for the furnace and often a fireplace as well.
Chimneys of that age have usually outlived the appliance they were built for. The original coal or oil furnace has been replaced, sometimes twice, and the flue may now be far too large for what it vents.
Furnace flues need attention too
When people think of sweeping they think of the fireplace, but the furnace flue runs every day of the heating season. Oil soot and flaking tile collect at the base and can block it.
During a visit, the fireplace flue is swept and the heating flue is checked at the cleanout door. If debris has piled up there, it is removed and the cause is looked for.
A mid-century chimney venting a newer gas furnace is a common candidate for a liner. Signs are damp patches on the chimney in the basement or white staining on the outside brick.
Chimney services for Ogdensburg homes
Ogdensburg, New Jersey
Every street in the borough is covered, from Main Street outward. The map shows the service area. Sweeps are dispatched from Newton.