Your Chimney Liner & Replacement

Posted on April 10, 2013 by Joshua

In order for your chimney to work, to vent the toxic gases in fireplace combustibles, it has to draw air up and out. Imagine trying to drink through a straw with lots of little cracks in it. That is what your chimney is doing when its liner is damaged. Heated air leaks through it it as surely as that soda is making a mess, and a lot never makes it up the straw.

When Does a Chimney Liner Need to be Replaced?

Chimney liners have come a long way, but many of those that were installed in older homes may be due for replacement. A liner needs to be replaced when it is no longer providing an unbroken surface for air to move across. In reaction to a chimney fire, the clay tiles used to line older masonry fireplaces can let heated air slip through newly formed cracks.

This means not only dangerous gases left indoors, but the transfer of heat through the chimney walls to your own. Preventing that was the reason for using terra cotta to line the chimney, because clay provides an excellent heat barrier. When the tiles crack after a chimney fire, however, the protections that the chimney is intended to provide crack with them.

Clean the Chimney, One Way or the Other

The need to avoid even small chimney fires makes it especially important for homeowners with clay tile liners to keep the chimney unobstructed and clean. Removal of nests, debris, and creosote can be handled by a certified chimney sweep, but they all need to be taken care of rather than put off. If a preventable chimney fire can be avoided, the chimney liner should prevent the kind of chimney fire that is not within your control.

If it is too late and your chimney liner has already cracked, you need to have your chimney professionally inspected before anything else. Then you can choose among different options, although repair is not likely to be among them. Given the difficulty of repairing cracked flue tiles inside a chimney, replacing the liner altogether usually makes more sense. Either way, the chimney has to be cleaned by a certified sweep, so hopefully, it is not too late to save your liner.

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Outdoor Ovens and Getting Ready for Spring/Summer Entertainment

Posted on April 2, 2013 by Joshua

Many homes feature outdoor ovens designed for warm-weather feasts. After all, who would not enjoy a sunny day or balmy evening outdoors with good food and good friends? With springtime just around the corner, homeowners are preparing their outdoor spaces for entertaining. In addition to getting the garden, yard, and deck in order, they should get their outdoor ovens ready for first use.

A well-constructed outdoor oven made from brick requires very little maintenance. Annual inspection of the exterior will reveal whether any cracks have developed during the winter. These cracks should be repaired because water can permeate the oven and cause damage over time. If general masonry techniques are not a skill, contact a chimney professional. This individual will perform the repairs and may recommend sealing the brick.

After the oven is patched and treated, it may require power washing to remove dirt and grime from the bricks. Some people use their outdoor ovens all year, causing these areas to become very dirty. A quick power wash will have the bricks looking like new and prevent buildup from presenting a fire risk, making the area a safer place.

If the oven grates were not cleaned after last season, turn on the oven, warm the grates, and scrub them with a wire brush. A stainless steel brush is designed for cast iron grates and a brass wire brush should be used on stainless steel grates. Once the grates are clean and dry, coat them with cooking spray. Clean the grates and reapply cooking spray after each use.

Keeping the grates clean and addressing leaks will extend the lifetime of an outdoor oven. If soot builds up in the oven chimney, a chimney sweep can remove it without damaging oven components. This reduces the risk of chimney fires, keeping the oven as safe as possible for everyone enjoying the great outdoors.

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Types of Wood To Use In Your Fireplace

Posted on March 27, 2013 by Joshua

Fireplace owners should pay attention to the type of wood they use because not all wood is created equal. In addition to ensuring that the wood has been seasoned for at least six months, they should determine whether the logs are hardwood or softwood. With so many species of trees on the planet, it is important to know which ones burn the most effectively.

Hardwood trees are plants whose seeds develop within an ovary that becomes a protective vessel. Hardwood is dense, hard, and burns more efficiently than softwood. Softwoods are plants whose seeds develop in a cone or at the end of a short stalk. The faster a tree grows, the softer its wood will generally be. Softwoods are not as hard, are less dense, and burn quicker than hardwoods.

Reproduction method, not density, determines whether wood is hardwood or softwood. For example, balsa wood is one of the least dense and lightest woods available but it is considered a hardwood. Teak, oak, maple, birch, aspen, elm, walnut, ash, and mahogany are other popular hardwoods. Fir, cedar, spruce, and pine are common softwoods.

Wood is a repository for solar energy so when it burns, this stored energy produces light and heat. All types of wood have nearly the same amount of energy per pound. What varies is their density, with denser wood having more energy per volume. Softwood is ideal for kindling because it ignites easily and burns quickly.

When shopping for the next cord of wood, inquire whether it is hardwood or softwood. Both types help create a successful fire in a fireplace or wood stove but each plays a different role. Using softwood to get the fire going and then adding hardwood logs should result in a long-lasting blaze that provides warmth and illumination to the room.

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The Joy of a Pot Bellied Stove

Posted on March 21, 2013 by Joshua

The joy of a pot bellied stove is surely in its value as a striking element in your decor. Flat topped and, yes, pot bellied, these alternative heating appliances are attractive design elements for any home. They are, however, also increasingly efficient sources of heat and surprisingly clean, burning fuel all the way down to ash.

Able to burn coal and wood, pot bellied stoves can handle high-temperature fires if coupled with a strong well-functioning chimney. Wood is, of course, a cleaner fuel but if it is not properly seasoned, coal is a better choice. Another readily available product is wood pellets, which are made from waste products and therefore not in short supply.

Much cheaper to use than conventional fireplaces, pot bellied stoves reduce utility bills and put less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Sharing this trait with all wood burning stoves, they put exactly as much CO2 into the air as the trees we plant to replace them take out of it. One way or another, the carbon dioxide is going back into the atmosphere when a tree dies, so it might as well happen when we heat our homes.

Their efficiency makes all wood burning stoves more cost effective than those that use coal or gas. Modern stoves can heat a back boiler to supply hot water to the house and radiators. These versatile appliances make cooking possible, some with a full sized oven and built-in range.

In all likelihood, however, the way it looks is going to factor into a decision to install a pot bellied stove. Some homeowners who have no need of it for heating purposes nonetheless choose to add a pot bellied stove purely for aesthetics. These cute alternatives to traditional fireplaces invite family and friends to gather round them, attracted by their warmth and comfort.

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Gas Logs vs. Wood: What Is the Most Economical to Burn?

Posted on February 12, 2013 by Joshua

Hands down, a gas fireplace is more economical than a wood burning fireplace. Not only is it more economical to burn gas logs than it is to burn cut wood, but there are a host of other reasons to choose gas over wood. Among these are:

  • lower installation costs
  • greater convenience
  • improved efficiency
  • cleanliness and storage

It is typically far less expensive to install a gas fireplace than a wood burning one. They require fewer structural elements and they may not even need a chimney. If they can be installed with direct venting to the exterior of the house, a chimney is superfluous. If it is necessary, it can be lighter and simpler, and its maintenance in good condition is easier and less costly.

A gas fireplace is also far more convenient and energy efficient than a wood fireplace. It starts with the push of a button, very different than a trip to the store, much less an axe and a tree. Compared with lugging wood to the fireplace, crumpling newspaper, lighting it repeatedly, and everything else involved with a wood fireplace, the red button is extremely appealing.

When it is not being used, the gas fireplace retains the warmth of the home, while the wood burning fireplace sends it up the chimney. The gas fireplace means energy savings for both the homeowner’s pocketbook and the environment when less heat is required. This trapping of warm air inside the house is among the benefits of the glass doors that accompany most gas fireplaces.

A wood burning fireplace, no matter how careful and fastidious you are, leaves black ash on the floor around it and gray ash in the fireplace that has to be swept up after every fire. Added to that is the buildup of soot and tar in the chimney of a wood burning fireplace. Finally, for those who live in large, open-plan condominiums and apartments, the problem of storing enough wood to satisfy your heating needs is an interesting one. It is worth remembering that a cord of cut firewood is 8’ long by 4’ wide by 4’ high.  So, add the cost of a little gas to repeatedly drive to the store to the already higher costs of a wood burning fireplace.

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Kiln Dried Wood vs. Traditional Seasoned Firewood

Posted on January 16, 2013 by Joshua

When a tree is cut down, the wood is considered to be green because it has not yet been allowed to dry. It is also wet and cannot be used to build anything because it warps as it dries and needs to be cured in some way. There are two main drying methods, which are kiln dried and seasoned, and each offer different benefits for firewood.

Choosing between kiln dried and seasoned firewood

The moisture content of seasoned wood is much higher than the kiln dried wood, which leads to many issues. The first is when the moisture content is higher, more energy is expended when the wood burns because of the evaporation of the moisture. This leads to more energy being expended drying the wood rather than offering the high heat that helps to keep a room warm.

Kiln dried wood is much drier and this lack of moisture means that there is less smoke when the wood is burning. It also offers a higher heat source because there is less energy being expended drying the wood. This also means that when kiln dried woods are used for construction, there is less chance of the wood warping.

Wood that has been dried in a kiln can burn faster than seasoned firewood because of the lack of moisture. This can be an issue for those who need their wood to last longer rather than burn hotter. Most of the wood that you can purchase at your local grocery store for barbeques, fireplaces, or wood stoves has been kiln dried.

When it comes to choosing the better wood for burning, seasoned wood is far and away the winner. The wood generally burns longer and produces more heat. For the homeowner that is trying to keep their home warm and costs down, this is a huge factor. If you are building something, you may want to look into finding the best possible source of kiln dried wood for your construction project.

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What You Need To Know About Professional Chimney Sweeping Companies

Posted on October 27, 2012 by Joshua

It feels great to see your home having chimney with modern delicacy adding charm and architectural value to overall looks of your home. However, inspecting and cleaning these chimneys on regular basis is a task that needs to be accomplished to prevent any damage to the chimney and your homes. It is important that you prefer professional chimney sweeping services for inspecting and cleaning chimneys because maintenance of chimneys is directly related to the safety of your homes and family members.

According to the figures revealed by the National Fire Protection Association every year there are almost 30,000 chimney fires only in America. For avoiding chimney fires and getting included in this number is to make sure that you have inspected and cleaned your chimney once on annual basis.

Although the entire process of chimney sweeping depends on your use of fireplaces, it is recommended that you clean your fireplace chimneys once in a year to clean the byproduct accumulation on chimney walls. Chances are more that unused chimneys becomes a resting place for birds and they build nests in flute making it dangerous to use after long periods.

Often you feel a disturbing odor when you lit your fireplace. This is because of the creosote deposition in chimney as well the summer humidity has potential to make the smell more badly. This is the sign that you need to have a professional chimney sweep service to inspect and clean the chimney to remove the creosote deposits that will eventually remove the smell caused after burning wood in fireplace. The worst part is carbon monoxide poisoning due to poor ventilation in chimney or due to blocked chimney outlets.

One of the biggest concerns for many people is the cost they will have to incur on professional chimney cleaning services. Although cleaning your chimney from professionals does not cost much and is an affordable venture and. usually the price of cleaning chimney depends on the type of work these professionals have to perform including repair and cleaning work as well on the company you chose to hire.

Hiring professionals is better idea because they are experienced, skilled and have all the equipment in their possession required for cleaning and repairing chimney. They know the exact places where soot formation is more and they know the better ways to clean them to minimize the dangers caused by these byproducts. After cleaning the chimney, they have their own way of inspecting the chimney one more time to check whether it is cleaned properly and need more cleaning or not.

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Some Ways to Avoid Creosote Formation in Chimney

Posted on October 19, 2012 by Joshua

Creosote formation is one of the main problems faced by people having fireplaces in their homes. This substance formed on the walls of chimney is dangerous enough to cause fire in chimney that might extend to your home interior if not looked upon in time. Again, many homeowners having fireplaces in their homes are not aware of creosote formation and they do not know what creosote actually means. Well, creosote is a highly inflammable substance that builds up on the walls of chimney and fireplaces. These substances are formed due to unburned wood when expelled ash and other volatile gases mix up when they are exiting the chimney. Especially in chimneys with poor drafts, the amount of creosote formation is more and overtime these creosote formation and soot buildup proves to be fatal as they have all the potential to cause chimney fire.

The first thing to avoid creosote buildup is to clean your chimney regularly. Chimney sweeping is very much necessary on annual basis when you are going to start using your fireplaces before every winter season. Cleaning chimney is possible for you by using different chimney cleaning material available in the market. However having a professional chimney cleaning team perform the job is the best idea to maintain and clean your chimney, as they are skilled and trained to perform this job.

Second thing that you should understand is burning proper wood in the fireplaces. Make sure that the wood you are using for burning is dry and seasoned wood. Any attempt to burn wet wood enhances the smoldering fire that eventually increases creosote formation.

When you are burning wood make sure that you are burning it at optimum or high temperature because creosote formation takes place when the smoke produced exiting chimney cools and liquefies. The best way to prevent smoke from liquefying is to make sure that the flu temperature is maintained above 250 F and for that, you will have to burn wood that is seasoned and quick burning.

One of the ways of avoiding creosote formation in chimney by making sure that you have kept the chimney flu wide open when you are burning wood stove. Always keep the chimney hot whenever there is a burning fire in the fireplace. You should understand the methods to control the airflow by slowing down the burning of fire. In addition, you can also understand the quality of fire in your fireplace only by looking at the color and type of smoke coming out of your chimney.

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Is Your Chimney Sick?

Posted on October 8, 2012 by Joshua

I remember back a few winters ago when my wife and I were going through the inspection process for our first home purchase. I remember that time well mostly because I was leading my Fantasy Football League with my first (and still only) undefeated season. The inspector for our soon to be home, come to find out, was playing fantasy football too. (He now plays in my current league)

Oh well… needless to say we were excited that we had finally found the perfect home. It had a little A-Frame with a side porch that I could literally picture myself grilling burgers for the family when the weather got warmer. If you can picture the old school Brady Bunch house, minus the 50 kids, that’s what I’m talking about. Everything was perfect…this is until we got back the Inspectors report.

The conversation went something like this:
The inspector pulled me to the side. My proud grin slowly faded to a look of concern.

The inspector said “Well…it looks like your chimney’s sick.”
My obvious response was “Sick? What do you mean it’s sick?”
“It aint been cleaned…ever”, was his casual response.
He anticipated my next question before it even came out of my mouth.
He jumped in with “No you can’t clean this one yourself, the build up is too much for a newby.”

I immediately started thinking back to the houses and chimneys that I’ve been in over the years and I never remember cleaning the chimney. I mean how do you even go about cleaning a chimney? The inspector was worth his wieght in gold that day because he went on to tell me that the chimney hadn’t been cleaned in probably 5 or so years. The problems that had mounted up over the years weren’t catastrophic but after talking to my realtor we decided to get the current owners to include a thorough chimney sweep & clean before we moved in.

My smile returned and the peace of mind that my wife and I had at the start of the inspection was priceless. I learned a lot about chimneys and the importance of keeping them in good shape. Since that eye opening experience I’ve continued to have all our chimneys cleaned each year…no matter what. I’ll forever be grateful to the inspector, my realtor and my chimney sweep for making sure I was investing in a home that was in tip-top shape.

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Sweeping Your Chimney for Creosote and Soot

Posted on October 1, 2012 by Joshua

Having a chimney at home is pretty common. During the winter season, fireplaces are used a lot to keep the interior of the house warm and cozy. Well, having a fireplace and using it regularly is everyone’s job but it becomes your obligation to keep it clean so that you can keep your house, housemates and fireplaces safe. The main part that needs to be cleaned in fireplaces is chimney flue; this is because with proper maintenance of sanitary chimney flue you make your home a clean and safe place to live.

Creosote and soot are main byproducts that accumulate in the chimney flu whenever you are using fireplaces as both of these are considered dangerous and hazardous elements in chimney. These byproducts have a tendency to cause fire at unexpected times if not properly cleaned and maintained. However, one thing is fairly clear that that you can determine the exact time as when to clean your chimney. Depending on the use of fireplaces, you can evaluate the proper time to clean the chimney flu.

When you are using constantly or regularly using your fireplaces then you should clean your chimney flu regularly. Moreover, you should conduct inspection periodically of the chimney to understand the exact time when you should clean your chimney. If you do not understand, anything about this process then let experts handle the procedure and with experience, you will learn and understand to inspect the chimney so that you can determine the time when you have to sweep your chimney.

The best way of chimney sweeping is to hire professionals to do the job as they are skilled, experienced and have all the equipments in their possession that are required to repair and clean your chimney. They are well trained to find and clean all the creosote and soot that is formed in chimney flue. They have their instruments and weapons that reach even the distant places of chimney where normal hand is unable to reach therefore while cleaning they make it sure that they do not leave any residue of creosote and soot behind that will eventually become dangerous for the safety of your house and fireplace.

If you are not regularly using your fireplaces then you should hire professional’s to check and inspect the chimney to find out whether it needs sweeping or other kind of maintenance. It is always better to inspect your chimney before you actually start using fireplaces after a long period.

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