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Getting the inside dirt

This chimney sweep cleans, repairs, even exorcises - though the "ghosts" he finds are usually confused animals.

By MICHELLE JONES
Published November 4, 2005

VALRICO - She thought she had a ghost in her chimney.

The spooky sounds scared her so much, she called Larry Ivey, owner of Joy Chimney Sweep Co.

When Ivey climed up on the roof, the only creatures he found haunting her house was a nest of turtle doves.

"The cooing sounds could have sounded like a ghost," he said. "The homeowner was embarrassed."

Ivey, 64, has been in the business for 25 years in the Brandon area, cleaning out and repairing fireplaces.

Customers recognize him by the top hat and coat with tails that he wears to look like the chimney sweep portrayed by Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins.

He will wear the outfit, if customers request it.

One time, he found a nest of squirrels in a chimney.

"I opened the damper, and out came the squirrels," he said. "One of the babies ran up my brother-in-law's pant leg."

At another home, the owner said strange noises were coming from her fireplace. So she taped up the opening with cardboard.

After going outside for his equipment, he came back in to find a duck covered in soot sitting on the hearth.

"It was on the smoke shelf and couldn't go up or down," he said. "I took the duck in the kitchen and said, "Here's your varmint.' The duck was so weak, but when I took it outside, it flew to a nearby pond."

Forgetting to open the damper for the first fire of the season can be harmful and even embarrassing.

"One of my customers had a romantic evening planned," Ivey said. "Wine, dinner and a romantic fire. He lit the fire, and the house filled with smoke."

So much for romance that night.

Ivey learned his trade by reading books and, at the beginning, got his customers by going door to door. When he started, he was the only sweep in eastern Hillsborough County.

The number of fireplaces used in Central Florida increased during the fuel crises of the 1970s, he said. With them came the need for more chimney sweeps.

Armed with a heavy-duty vacuum cleaner, a strong light, a large tarp and a brush attached to expandable rods, Ivey is ready to clean. He charges $100 for a one-story house and $110 for two stories.

1. Open the damper before you start a fire. Keep the damper closed during summer months, as cool air will go right up the chimney.

2. Burn hardwood, especially oak, and soot doesn't build up as fast. Pine, treated wood, wrapping paper, cardboard, newspapers and paper logs cause creosote to accumulate faster on the chimney liner.

3. A cap on the chimney helps keep critters, debris and water out.

4. In case of a chimney fire, call 911. Put out the fire in the fireplace with sand and cover the opening to the fireplace with a wet blanket. The quickest source of water is the toilet.

5. Clean the chimney every two or three years.

Source: Joy Chimney Sweep Co.

[Last modified November 3, 2005, 08:48:08]