Level 1 sweep and inspection to the NFPA 211 annual standard - flue, crown, cap, and flashing checked and photographed
Chimney sweep logs do not sweep chimneys. They loosen some creosote - which then falls where a brush and vacuum still have to collect it.
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterMeet the Shelton Team Behind Hearthstone Chimney Co.
We’re the crew that shows up at your door in Shelton with clean boots, a camera, and no mystery. Every technician here answers to Russell Haines, and every one of us has passed the same background check, worn the same uniform, and signed the same promise: done right, and we stand behind it. What unites us isn’t a handbook. It’s that none of us want to come back and fix our own mistake.
Our People
Russell Haines, Owner
I’ve been running Hearthstone Chimney Co. since 1984. Started with a brush and a truck, and now we’ve got crews across fifteen Connecticut towns. I’m still the one who answers calls at odd hours when the live line rolls to me, still the one who reviews every Level-2 inspection report before it goes to a homeowner. I don’t write poetry about chimneys. I look at photos of cracked flue tiles and tell you straight whether it’s a this-year problem or a next-year problem. My wife says I talk about creosote at dinner. She’s not wrong.
Mike D., Lead Technician
Mike’s been with us twelve years, and he’s the reason we can say “most jobs completed in a single visit” without crossing our fingers. He’s CSIA-certified and specializes in masonry evaluation, the kind of work where you need to know the difference between a hairline crack and a structural threat. Mike grew up in Derby, worked construction through high school, and still won’t let anyone else on his crew touch the camera rig. He keeps a laminated photo in his truck of the worst liner collapse he’s ever seen. Shows it to homeowners who ask what happens if they skip the inspection.
Carla R., Senior Installer
Carla handles our liner and rebuild jobs from Fairfield County up through the Naugatuck Valley. She’s factory-trained on DuraFlex and HeatShield systems, and she’s the one who convinced us to standardize on Gelco caps after seeing too many big-box versions rust through in three Connecticut winters. Before chimneys, she was a welder. That shows in her crown work. Off the clock, she restores vintage motorcycles in a garage in Seymour. Says it’s the same principle: metal expands, metal contracts, and water is always the enemy.
Derek T., Service Coordinator
Derek answers the phones, schedules the routes, and makes sure we’re not sending Mike to Shelton and Carla to Stamford on the same morning. He’s the live voice you get when you call (475) 265-6822 at 10 PM because you smelled something odd after a fire. Derek’s been with us four years, knows every zip code in our territory, and keeps a whiteboard in the office with every technician’s certifications and expiration dates. He grew up in Shelton, went to Shelton High, and still coaches youth baseball in the summer. He’ll remember your name from the last call.
Jesse M., Apprentice Technician
Jesse joined us last spring after finishing the chimney technology program at a trade school in Waterbury. He’s paired with Mike for every sweep and inspection until he earns his own CSIA certification, probably next fall. Jesse’s already better with a rotary whip than I was at year five, and he’s the reason we finally started using digital report software, he set it up and trained the rest of us. He lives in Ansonia with his grandfather, who was a boiler mechanic at Sikorsky. Jesse says the old man still inspects his tool bag every Sunday.
One Standard, Every Job
We’re not a franchise. We’re not a call center with subcontractors. When you book Hearthstone Chimney Co. in Shelton, you’re getting a crew that reports to the same owner who started the company in 1984. The 90-Day Done Right Promise applies whether Mike’s on your roof or Carla’s in your firebox. The K.E.Y.S. code, Krafted right, Every time, Your home first, Standing behind it, isn’t a poster in the break room. It’s how we decide who to hire, who to promote, and who stays on the team.
Every technician carries the same professional-grade materials from Olympia Chimney, Famco, and Copperfield. Every inspection ends with photos you can see and a plain-English verdict. And every estimate is the final number on the invoice. A square deal: no surprises on the bill. We’ll be there when we say. Done right, and we stand behind it.
Call (475) 265-6822 to speak with Derek or Russell directly. Estimates are free, and we’ll tell you honestly if your chimney can wait another season.
Written by Russell Haines, Owner at Hearthstone Chimney Co., serving Shelton and Connecticut communities since 1984.