Chimney Care Company's Blog
We tune up & clean gas appliances!
Homeowners with gas fireplaces and heating stoves love their hearth appliances because they are easy to use and require little maintenance. However, if you want your system to continue to perform with optimal efficiency, you must invest in simple annual maintenance. Fortunately, Chimney Care Co. is here to help keep your gas hearth appliance running efficiently and smoothly. We tune up and clean gas appliances, too!
Why your gas fireplace requires maintenance, too
Gas fireplaces don’t create ash or smoke compared to wood-burning fireplaces. So why does your gas fireplace need regular maintenance? First, your gas fireplace features many working components. These parts include the vents, blowers, pilot lights, and burners. as they can become blocked with debris to prevent proper function. Gaskets, seals and glass doors can also wear down to cause eventual failure. This also reduces your fireplace’s efficiency and pose dangers within your home.
While creosote is not a concern in your gas fireplace’s, the chimney can still become blocked with debris or animal intrusion. The chimney liner or structure could still break down to pose a hazard. All in all, you should get our gas fireplace or heating stove a professional cleaning, inspection, and tune up annually, as this keep your gas hearth appliance safe and efficient. Annual maintenance removes soot and debris that can degrade the look of your fireplace. Annual cleaning and inspection also ensure that your logs, firebox, and glass continue to look clean and attractive.
What gas fireplace maintenance entails
What exactly does gas fireplace maintenance entail, you might ask? First, your certified technician will clean and inspect the chimney to remove any soot, which can eat away at the chimney. We will also look and verify that there aren’t any defects, weaknesses or blockages inside your chimney to pose a hazard. Your sweep also remove the logs from your gas fireplace to thoroughly clean the logs, firebox, fireplace glass, blowers, and pilot. We want to clear all debris or dust from all parts to lessen the chance of a blockage, as it could lead to a system failure. Finally, your sweep check all of the working components. We also check the seals of your gas fireplace or heating stove to ensure that the system is working properly and safely.
Call to schedule your gas fireplace tune-up today
Gas fireplaces and heating stoves are low maintenance. However, while gas hearth appliances require less maintenance than their wood-burning or pellet-burning counterpart, you gas system still need annual tune-up, cleaning and inspection to ensure it stays clean, attractive, and in proper working condition year after year. Give the team at Chimney Care Co a call at 513-248-9600 to get started!
Schedule your mess-free sweeping with us today!
If you have a fireplace or chimney, you likely know the importance of having your chimney swept and inspected at least once per year. This lowers your home’s risk of a dangerous fire and other risks. Some homeowners dread the mess of a chimney sweeping. Fireplaces are dirty places, filled with soot and ash, but a chimney sweeping shouldn’t be messy! At Chimney Care Co., we pride ourselves in providing mess-free chimney sweepings. When our team is finished cleaning your fireplace, your will find your home even cleaner than before!
Chimney Care Co – chimney sweeping
When our team arrives in your home, we protect your flooring and furnishings with drop cloths and tarps. Our first concerns upon entering a home is to not cause any mess or damage to the flooring or furniture. We do this by protecting your furniture and flooring with drop cloths and tarps so that any stray soot or dust doesn’t land on any of your furniture or floor. If any furniture is at risk for being dirtied or damaged by our work, we will move it safely out of the way.
We use high-powered brushes
Once your flooring and furniture are protected from stray mess from our chimney sweeping, it’s time to get to work. To effectively and efficiently remove the creosote and soot from your chimney walls without create an excess of dust, we use high-powered rotating brushes that quickly loosen the buildup on the inside of your chimney walls.
We clear away mess with commercial vacuums
So where does the dust and mess from your chimney sweeping go? At the Chimney Care Co., we use high-powered, commercial-grade vacuums to clear away the debris caused by the chimney sweeping. These vacuums effectively suck any creosote, dirt, and debris loosened by the high-powered chimney brushes, without allowing any dust to invade your home. With the mess trapped inside the vacuums, we take care of and dispose of the dirt, debris, and creosote, once we are finished with the sweeping.
We clean up remaining mess before we leave
Once we’re done with the sweeping and inspection, we collect our drop cloths and tarps and replace any furniture that we were moved. If any soot or dust found its way into your home, we’ll clean it all up. Our goal is to leave your house looking just as clean as when we found it.
A professional chimney sweeping is crucial to keep your home and family safe from the dangers of a chimney fire — Don’t let the fear of a mess keep you from getting one. Call Chimney Care Co. to schedule your mess-free chimney sweeping today!
Why is my chimney leaking?
This time of year, as snow piles on rooftops and chimneys get pelted with rain sleet and snow, many homeowners see concerning puddles of water within their fireboxes, water stains around their chimneys on ceilings and walls or rust forming on fireplace doors, dampers or grates. Seeing signs that your chimney is leaking can be both frustrating and terrifying. Water damage can be expensive to fix, but before you can work toward a repair, first you have to know why the chimney is leaking. Here are a few likely culprits.
What causes chimneys to leak?
Over time, water breaks down your chimney’s masonry, which can lead to chimney leaks. Masonry, including your chimney bricks or stones and the mortar that holds them together, is porous. It absorbs water every time it rains, snows or sleets. When temperatures drop, the water held inside your chimney masonry freezes and expands, which causes the masonry itself to crack or crumble away. The holes and cracks in your masonry can allow water to leak into the chimney itself, where it can cause water damage inside your chimney flue and in your firebox.
Failing or inadequate chimney crown
Every chimney should be topped with a sturdy chimney crown, constructed from high-quality concrete reinforced with rebar. Many chimney crowns are constructed hastily with the same mortar the mason used to build the chimney structure itself. These insufficient chimney crowns break down quickly, forming cracks that allow water to leak down into your chimney’s inner structure. Even well-constructed chimney crowns will break down over time, due to the freeze-thaw cycle, and a chimney crown that isn’t protecting your chimney from water and directing water away from your flue can cause serious water damage to your chimney and your home.
Faulty flashing
Often a “chimney leak” isn’t the chimney at all; it’s the chimney flashing. Flashing surrounds the base of your chimney, where it meets your rooftop. Sometimes flashing isn’t adequately built into the layers of the chimney and roof to form a tight seal, or flashing can crack and corrode over time. Faulty flashing allows water to drain in around the chimney. A chimney leak caused by faulty flashing often causes dark water marks on the ceiling around the chimney, or it can cause paint or wallpaper to pucker and peal. Fault chimney flashing can cause major damage in your home, as it gives water access to your home’s structure, which can lead to warping and rotting.
Missing chimney cap
Your chimney needs a chimney cap, a small metal roof-like structure that prevents water from rolling directly down your chimney flue. Without a chimney cap, water flows freely down your chimney when it precipitates. Water inside your chimney can cause water damage to flue tiles or the masonry within your chimney box, or it can cause your chimney damper, fireplace doors or fireplace grate to rust.
Nothing can be more intimidating to a homeowner than a leaky chimney because leaky chimneys can cause extensive water damage that can be very expensive to repair. If you notice signs of water leaking in, through or around your chimney, don’t wait to have it addressed — Call the Chimney Care Co. to schedule an appointment today!
Installation, Maintenance & Repairs — Chimney Care Co. can do it all!
Where do you turn when your hearth needs attention? Whether you are looking to install a new fireplace or chimney or maintain or repair your current fireplace and chimney, you can turn to the Chimney Care Co. From installation to maintenance to repair, the Chimney Care Co. does it all!
Installation
A hearth appliance adds value to your home. A heating stove can render a cold room more comfortable or help you to heat your home for less money. A fireplace adds ambiance and provides a focal point for your home. At the same time, it can add warmth and comfort to your living spaces. Regardless of your reason for installing a new hearth appliance — and regardless of what type of hearth appliance you’re looking to install — the Chimney Care Co. can install your hearth appliance the right way, so you know your fireplace or heating stove will operate properly, safely and efficiently. If you haven’t yet decided on what type of hearth appliance to install in your home, the Chimney Care Co. can help there, too. We offer a variety of high-quality hearth appliances, and our fireplace experts can help you choose the perfect fireplace, heating stove or fireplace insert for your home.
Maintenance
If you already have a fireplace, heating stove or chimney in your home, keeping your hearth appliance running safely and efficiently requires regular maintenance. Any chimney should be swept and inspected at least once per year. Fireplaces and heating stoves also should be cleaned and inspected at least once per year. Cleaning will ensure that all vents and blowers are free from debris that can inhibit the function of your hearth appliance, and it will keep your fireplace or heating stove looking good year after year. The accompanying inspection examines all of the working and physical components of your fireplace or heating stove and chimney to be sure that they are free from any damage or deterioration that could cause them to be unsafe to operate, cause potential damage to your home or operate incorrectly or inefficiently. Chimney Care Co. is certified by the Chimney Safety Institute of America to provide annual maintenance and cleaning to fireplace, heating stoves and fireplace inserts.
Repairs
No one wants to hear that their fireplace or chimney needs a repair, but when that does happen, you can turn to the Chimney Care Co. for help. We perform repairs on all types of fireplaces, fireplace inserts, heating stoves, and chimneys so you can continue to enjoy the warmth and comfort of your hearth appliance without worrying about its safety or efficiency.
Chimney Care Co. provides the full range of hearth services. From installation to maintenance to repairs, we can help with all of your fireplace, heating stove and chimney needs. Call to schedule your appointment today!
Wood-burning, pellet or gas? Which fireplace is right for you?
Are you looking to add a fireplace to your home? Once you choose to enhance your hearth and home, one of the first decisions you will have to make about your new fireplace or heating stove is fuel time. So wood-burning, pellet or gas — which fireplace is right for you?
Wood-burning fireplaces, fireplace inserts, and heating stoves
When most homeowners envision a hearth, they picture the soothing crackle, gentle glow and soft warmth of a fire-burning fireplace, fireplace insert or heating stove. Wood-burning hearth appliances are popular for a reason: In addition to their classic feel, wood-burning fireplaces and stoves can be an inexpensive way to add supplemental heat to your home. If you’re able to harvest your own firewood, the additional heat from a wood-burning fireplace comes, essentially, for free. Even if you purchase wood for your wood-burning fireplace or heating stove, fueling your wood-burning hearth appliance is low cost. And while traditional wood-burning fireplaces have a bad reputation for their inefficiency, an enclosed wood-burning fireplace insert or heating stove can generate a lot of heat for your home very efficiently and will little air pollution.
Pellet fireplaces, fireplace inserts, and heating stoves
For people who love the traditional look and feel of a wood-burning fireplace but who want a hearth appliance that’s lower maintenance, a pellet fireplace, fireplace insert or heating stove might be the answer. Pellet-burning appliances are fueled by small pellets made from dehydrated, compressed wood shavings. Many also can burn biofuels, like cherry pits or corn. Pellet fireplaces, inserts and heating stoves are easier to use because they are fueled automatically. You load a hopper with your biofuel of choice, and an automated auger automatically feeds the fuel to the fireplace as needed. Fuel for a pellet stove can be bought at nearly any big box store, and the bags are stored easily out of the way. You can fill a hopper when it’s easy for you, and your fireplace will continue to be fueled while you’re sleeping, at work or out running errands.
Gas fireplaces, fireplace inserts, and heating stoves
Gas hearth appliances are the right choice for people who love the warmth and ambiance provided by a fireplace or heating stove but who hate the work involved in fueling and maintaining a fireplace. Gas fireplaces, fireplaces, and heating stoves ignite automatically at the push of a button, and they can be wired to thermostats to help regulate the temperature within a home. The other advantages to gas fireplaces are that they don’t require the infrastructure required by wood-burning or pellet appliances. With zero-clearance, direct-vent and vent-free gas hearth appliances, you can install a fireplace nearly anywhere within your home.
If you are ready to add a fireplace to your home, but you’re still trying to determine what type of fireplace is right for you, call the Chimney Care Co.! Our fireplace experts can help you determine what type and size fireplace is right for you, and we can get your new hearth appliance installed properly so you can enjoy it all winter long.