Let There Be Light Chimney Sweep

Everything was great. Got my money's worth.

I really appreciate the time that John spent to give me some background on the type of prefab fireplace in my house and to walk me through a few different options for repairing small cracks and pits in the rear refractory panel and the floor. He gave me DIY, medium-term, and a long-range fix options. All this was very helpful in the first winter season in a new home. Very nice person, great documentation of the job, pleasant experience scheduling the appointment, super clean work area, and appropriate suggestions for repairs that work with my budget.

When I purchased my house, the inspector recommended a chimney sweep and to keep an eye on some of the bricks that were peeling on the outside chimney. After reviewing Angie's List, I contacted "Let There Be Light" to sweep the chimney. John Wisnewski was extremely professional, honest and knowledgeable. He noticed the peeling bricks too and recommended a masonry company for the repairs. He also suggested a product called Chimney Saver to protect the integrity of the outside bricks. He thoroughly explained why they were peeling and how Chimney Saver would be helpful. Both the masonry work and Chimney Saver application needed to be done by an outside contractor. He showed me some issues with the cement atop the chimney and was able to do the repair. After John left, I was a lot more informed about fireplaces and chimney maintenance. I shared with him my concern about the "smoky" smell that sometimes fills the house. He explained both the causes and the remedies/options to deal with it. I will definitely contact John Wisnewski again for the next chimney sweep. It was a pleasure doing business with him!

I have an old style damper that opens and closes by turning it many times. The damper had gotten off track by turning it too far. I called a chimney company, DJ Cross, and without even thoroughly looking up my chimney, they told me I needed a whole new damper ($500). Since this company seemed more interested in selling me an expensive, new damper, I looked around. I called John at Let There Be Light, and he promptly came out. Within 30 seconds he figured out the problem and got the damper on track. He showed me how to fix the damper in case I turn it too far in the future. He charged me a simple service fee. It's a pleasure being treated fairly, and I will continue to use Let There Be Light for future chimney needs.

I discovered that I had a significant build up of creosote in my chimney, and decided to contact Let There Be Light to get some guidance. I read all of the reviews and decided this business would be a good bet. I called and left a detailed message about what I needed. I never got a call back and still have not. I'm sure the owner is very busy given the time of year, but I can't imagine he has enough business to fail to return a call to a potential long-term customer. I ended up calling another provider who responded promptly to my request. Update: The owner of the business called to explain why he did not respond to my phone call, which I appreciated greatly. It seems, from our conversation, that he typically provides good and thorough customer service.

John arrived on time. I really appreciate that. He really knows his profession. He examined my chimney inside and out. He told me I needed a full liner and recommended a company to me that does this work. He cleaned the chimney and explained verbally and in writing exactly what I need. I choose "Let there be Light" because of Angie's List and I am really glad that I did. Eileen Stewart

It was very easy to set up an appointment with John, and he arrived early (after calling) on the day of our appointment. This was our first time as customers of Let There Be Light, and we were extremely pleased with John's service. He is exceptionally knowledgeable and friendly, and we were impressed with his explanation of some of the nuances of our particular fireplace and chimney. Everything was as clean...or cleaner!...when he left than when he arrived. We would highly recommend John; he is a true , dedicated professional in every way!

John is very knowledgable ,not just in chimneys. He did the work as promised and the work area was clean when he was finished. He also recommend another mason to the fix our other chimney. I would definitely recommend Let There Be Light !

Excellent work. John is quite knowledgable and freely shares his knowledge to explain the situation and offer valuable advice. He is meticulous in his work, and very helpful in providing suggestions. All work was carefully performed, and clean-up was excellent. I highly recommend this company.

Was late and we ended up canceling plans as I couldn't reschedule. Was thorough and knowledgeable

The technician arrived, took a look at my fireplace, inspected the various components and told me what he recommended I replace to make it functional. He gave me detailed recommendations for the minimum investment to the most beautiful and functional option. He gave me some history as to the current setup and gave me pros and cons for different options. It was all very valuable information and very generous of him.

John is personable, knowledgeable and capable. He explained everything thoroughly, never appeared rushed and advised us on how to maintain our fireplace going forward.

Great. Strongly recommend!

John was very courteous and friendly. He did a thorough inspection and helped us understand our fireplaces better. He offered great advice. We would definitely use him again.

John was one of the best business owners I have ever worked with. Completely professional and very friendly. Gave us a true assessment and provided additional recommendations for our safety and comfort. I highly recommend his work and you will not be disappointed. I will be calling him back every time for service.

The vent for our gas water heater was partially clogged. It was discovered by our plumber when replacing the old water heater. John was able to replace the entire venting assembly (which had been improperly constructed in the first place) and clean out the flue. I'm not sure everyone could have done this or would have taken the necessary time to carefully measure and construct the duct. He explained everything he was doing as he went along. I now understand how the flue works! He also constructed the duct so I can monitor it for debris and easily clean it out every 6 months. I really appreciate his knowledge, professional approach to the job and affable manner. Thank you!

My insert was horrific and needed to be dissasembled in order to sweep the chimney. This company was not able to do that work, referred my to another company, and did not charge for the service call

Cleaned and inspected fireplace and chimney, diagnosed water problem others could not wish we had called this company first we would have saved a lot of time, money and aggravation. John has a passion for his craft and new his stuff would definitely recommend to family and friends

John is a very friendly, cheerful guy. Arrived on time. Explained what he was going to do. Cleaned the chimney without any mess. It was a good price. I will definitely use him again.

Even though it was his busy season John was able to schedule the cleaning within a week of my call. He arrived promptly at the planned time. He is a walking encyclopedia of fireplace and wood burning facts ( among other topics) and is generally a very helpful fellow. His price was very reasonable, and lower than another estimate we were given. We received good value for money. We will ask him back next year.

I called Let There Be Light after my attempt to get in touch through the website failed to generate a response. I understand that this is the busiest time of year for chimney service, so I thought I'd give them a second chance because of all the positive reviews here. And, I feel really lucky that I did. John went above and beyond to help us with our chimney. I thought we just needed a routine cleaning, but it turns out that our chimney damper was old, narrow, and extremely difficult to get by for a cleaning. John put in a substantial effort to make our damper removable and was able to clean our chimney for what was likely the first time in the 62 years it has existed. I think most companies would have said it's impossible or too difficult to clean and just left. He also fixed some gaps in the inner sides of the fireplace which were a safety hazard, provided thorough explanation of his work, and gave advice and tips that this first-time fireplace owner appreciated very much. All for the more-than-fair price of a standard inspection/cleaning. Despite a busy schedule, John was very patient, thorough, and generous with his time. We will see him again next year.

John is very professional and a very nice man. He took his time and checked everything out carefully. Letting me know at each step what he was doing and finding and what it meant in terms of the state of my chimneys. I would highly recommend working with him. Great service.

John was great. He showed up as chipper and friendly as I think I've ever seen someone coming to perform some sort of service on my house. He immediately went to work doing an inspection of the exterior of my chimney. He explained to me that most of my chimney looked great, but it needed two things. First, a power washing to clean off one side where some moss had started growing. Then, he recommended that I have a mason come out and seal the brick with a product that would repel water and protect the chimney going forward from any future water damage. We then moved inside. I told John that I had just purchased the house and wanted to make sure that everything was OK for me to light a fire in the fireplace. John took over at that point and not only inspected and swept the chimney but told me all kinds of ins and outs to get my chimney to function as good as possible. He started by explaining that my fireplace was a bit too deep and recommended two options, an expensive one and an economical one, for a fireback to both protect the back of the fireplace and help direct the smoke up into the chimney. He instructed me on how to maintain an adequate ash level both under and to the side of the rack, which I would have had no idea about. Then we moved on to the damper. He showed me how to open and close it properly even giving me a latex glove and flashlight to try it for myself while he was there. He gave the chimney a good sweeping and inspected the interior. He explained to me that the interior was also in good shape (phew!) and didn't need any work at this time. He noticed that part of the back wall of the fireplace was missing some of the mortar between the bricks so he brushed out the debris and filled the crack with some fireplace mortar fixing that issue for me. Finally, we went into my basement and John inspected my gas furnace chimney, which also ended up looking in good condition. Throughout the whole process John was patient, informative, hardworking, and had some great humorous stories to pass the time while he was letting some of his inspection tests run. John was great.

John, definitely dresses the part, very elegant for a chimney sweep ;-) Actually, he knows his stuff, exceedingly well. It is nice work with someone that knows as much about chimneys as John does. In fact it's nice to work with someone who knows so much about everything :)

Everything went very well. Its great to find a contractor who really knows his business, enjoys his work and has excellent people skills. You can trust this guy & he gives you a fair price too!