Guide To Choosing a Hearth Company

[Mountain Hearth + Patio]

The Choice is Yours - A Guide to Selecting Your Fireplace Company

During our recent Better Business Bureau renewal, I was asked to provide proof to support the claim on our website that we have more industry training than any of our competitors – so I did. Then I asked 250 mountain area residents to tell us what is most important to them when they are considering hearth products and services. Not surprisingly, the top 10 were: provides cleaning/sweeping and repairs of wood, gas and pellet appliances; technical knowledge; locally owned; is a member of the Better Business Bureau; years in business; guarantees not to leave behind soot or dirt in the house; has a retail showroom to demonstrate the use of products; can install all appliances without using subcontractors; appearance of employees and finally, accepts credit cards. Here’s some guidance on how to evaluate companies in the hearth industry.

The value of hiring a company that can service or repair all types and brands of hearth appliances is obvious - it saves you time and money. You can, for example, get your gas stove serviced at the same time you get your fireplace chimney swept. The benefit to homeowners to hire a company that is a member of the Better Business bureau lies in the BBB’s complaint resolution process. If a problem arises, you’re more likely to get a BBB Accredited company to resolve your issues. You can check out the status of any company (accredited or not) at their website -- http://www.denver.bbb.org

Figuring out if someone has the technical training and expertise to do the job and do it right, is something best done before you hire them. But how can you find out about a chimney sweep’s training or if they have signed the CSIA Code of Ethics? And how can you tell if the person that’s going to come to install a new hearth appliance for you is properly trained and has the expertise to do the job correctly? The only legitimate way is to visit the websites of the organizations that accredit hearth professionals. To see who in your area is a Chimney Safety Institute of America Certified Chimney Sweep, visit – Chimney Safety Institute of America / http://www.csia.org. To view the list of wood, gas and pellet installation specialists, go to – National Fireplace Institute / http://www.nficertified.org. We’re proud to say that Mountain Hearth & Patio employees have a total of 8 CSIA and NFI certifications and that you will ALWAYS have a certified technician onsite for your work. Unfortunately, no other local company has more than two and homeowners often end up with technicians trained in one specialty being hired to service or install appliances that aren’t well-trained for.

It’s hard to understand why some companies act as if it’s okay to track dirt into someone else’s home and leave a big mess behind after they finish the project. You’ll be spared that headache if you look for chimney sweeps and installation companies, such as ours, that offer a complete 100% No Mess Guarantee. Since you’re going to be letting these people into your home, make sure that the company is licensed, bonded and insured (not just has a business license and vehicle insurance) and that anyone they send to your home will be in uniform (not just a Tee-shirt!) with have an ID Badge.

I hired an outside agency to see how we compared with our competition in these categories. If you’d like a copy of the entire summary with a list of all of the companies that were reviewed, please send your request to: Jake@mtnhp.com. For more information about purchasing hearth appliances or about chimney sweeping services call us at 303.679.1601 or visit our conveniently located showroom - Mountain Hearth & Patio at 7001 Highway 73 in Marshdale. Visit us online at http://www.MtnHP.com

[blackonyx]

Thanks Jake, as a homeowner and consumer, they are great guidelines to "shop" for. Great service, matched with quality, is hard to come by. Good to know you, as our neighbor offer both and educate us in the process!

Thanks