Chimney Care Company's Blog
Being Fire Safe With A Dryer Vent Cleaning
Laundry is part of life’s weekly grind, but did you know that dryers cause roughly 2,900 home structure fires, 5 deaths, 100 injuries and $35 million in direct property loss in the U.S. each year? What’s more, the majority of dryer fires happen in the fall and winter months, with the peak being in January. The most common cause of dryer fires is failure to do a thorough cleaning. Because a lint trap is not a foolproof method for catching all the fuzzy stuff in your dryer, lint can gradually build up and catch fire in the heating element or exhaust duct. Many people are under the impression that cleaning these vents isn’t all that important. Unfortunately for them, this couldn’t be further from the truth.
RECIPE FOR A HOUSE FIRE
Clogged dryer vents are an accident waiting to happen. A partially obstructed vent filled with lint can cause increased drying times and waste energy while a blocked vent can lead to a fire. There are numerous warning signs that will indicate that you have a dirty dryer vent: your clothes are still damp after a complete drying cycle, there’s excessive heat buildup in your laundry room, and/or your dryer is used frequently. One of the ways—perhaps the best way—to decrease the chances of a dryer fire in your home is to simply clean your lint trap before or after every laundry load of clothes.
LINT BUILDUP IS COSTLY
Aside from the inherent danger of fire, buildup of dirt and lint in the dryer vent can also significantly increase your energy consumption, thereby costing you more money. The increased energy usage is due in large part to your dryer taking more time to dry your clothes because of the blockage; it has to work twice as hard to accomplish the same amount of work. Possible signs that a dirty or clogged dryer vent may be to blame include: your dryer no longer dries the clothes in one cycle, your clothes carry a musty smell after a full drying cycle, your dryer seems to run hotter than normal, a visible amount of lint is noticed around the lint filter, and debris is noticed within the dryer vent opening on the outside of your home.
CLEANING DRYER VENTS IS A MUST!
To avoid this potentially dangerous buildup in your vents, following a predetermined maintenance schedule is important. The majority of dryer vents need to be cleaned at least once a year; some dryer ducts need more frequent attention. Some determining factors include: the number of people who are using the same dryer, the age and condition of the dryer, and the length of your dryer vent. The best way to ensure dryer safety is to clean the lint screen after every use and to have your vent and duct cleaned regularly. In fact, studies prove that effective cleaning maintenance of dryer vents and lint screens can reduce the chances of fire by as much as 90%. Not only does vent cleaning help prevent house fires, it also will make sure your clothes are dry and smell nice after each use.
Lint builds up in your dryer vent each time you run your dryer. Cleaning the lint screen will help you keep the dryer running and working well, but a little lint will still remain within the vent itself. It’s very important to keep up with dryer vent cleaning, as the accumulated lint is a fire hazard that endangers your house and everyone in it. Call Chimney Care Company to schedule an inspection and cleaning of your dryer vents today!
Spring Is Here – Get Your Chimney Cleaned and Inspected Now
NO MORE WAITING GAMES…
Most homeowners with a fireplace have been told about the importance of having their chimney system cleaned annually (or more often depending on how heavily they rely on it during heating season), and a large portion now acknowledge this importance and make an annual inspection and cleaning part of their yearly to-do list. Yet somehow chimney maintenance is de-prioritized until the colder weather begins setting in. Homeowners can then be seen scrambling to make their appointments so they can start using their fireplaces to keep warm at night. What many of these homeowners complain about, however, is the wait time involved between scheduling the appointment and actually having the work completed.
AVOID COSTLIER FUTURE REPAIRS…
They’re not overly excited about waiting a few days or weeks for their respective chimney service companies to be able to fit them into their schedule. Some homeowners, due to their impatience, will settle for a non-certified chimney company; in doing so, they may be saving a few dollars in upfront costs, but they could very well be spending a lot more down the road, as these fly-by-night sweeps could overlook a small issue that could have disastrous consequences for you and your family.
IF YOU DO NEED REPAIRS, THEY CAN BE COMPLETED QUICKLY
Chimney professionals are no doubt the busiest during the fall season. As the temperature drops, the fireplace begs to be used, but only when it is clean and ready. It might be a few weeks before a crew can get to your home, and if they find your chimney needs repairs, there can be more delays keeping you from using your fireplace. The spring and summer are the best times to get your chimney cleaned and inspected and allows plenty of time to address any repairs. Scheduling is usually easier as well as its kind of like getting your air conditioning serviced in winter.
DON’T SETTLE FOR LESS THAN THE BEST…
Rather than settling for an untrained alternative simply because they can come service your chimney system a day or two sooner in October, why not call a reputable company during the warmer spring months to take care of all of your chimney system needs. Your chimney might be one of the farthest things from your mind when it’s no longer cold outside, but it can save you in the long run from lots of hassle and frustration.
A little planning and forethought can help to ensure that you receive your annual service from a reputable, certified company in a timely manner. Enjoy your fires this year with peace of mind. To make an appointment today, call us at 513-248-9600 or click here to schedule an appointment online.
The Convenience and Savings of a Pellet Stove
You may have heard a lot lately about pellet stoves as they have become a top choice in heating systems for homes over the past few years. The first pellet stove came on the market in 1930, and since then pellet stoves have gone through many changes, going from a large, boxy, workhorse design to a smaller decorative heating appliance to be used in residential homes. Since the heating industry has moved towards heating systems based on efficient combustible and renewable resources in the past 10 years, pellet stoves have seen a great resurgence, and The Chimney Care Company has been asked many questions about these stoves. We’re here to provide you with some of the more commonly asked questions we receive and the answers we’ve supplied.
WHAT IS A PELET STOVE? WHAT ARE PELLETS?
Convenient, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly, a pellet stove is a sophisticated electronic appliance that gives you an economic and eco-friendly heating option for your house. Pellet stoves are fueled by wood pellets, which are made from recycled sawdust, wood shavings, and the other scrap pieces that have been swept up off the floors of sawmills. Cheap and easy to manufacture, wood pellets are compact, resembling rabbit food, and environmentally friendly because they have a very low pollution rate.
HOW MANY TYPES OF PELLET STOVE ARE AVAILABLE?
There are two different types: freestanding and insert stoves. You can get an insert if you have an existing fireplace, and one of our expert technicians at The Chimney Care Company will install it into the firebox and vent it through your chimney. If you do not have a fireplace, you can go with a freestanding stove with its own exhaust pipe.
ARE DIFFERENT STYLES AND OPTIONS AVAILABLE?
Available in all sorts of sizes, shapes, styles and colors, you are sure to find the perfect pellet stove for your home, no matter your taste. As for options, you can go with the standard model or with the super deluxe version with a programmable, controlled feeder and a remote control thermostat. Our staff at The Chimney Care Company would love to show you our wide variety of pellet stoves available. Other options include the hopper location, heat output levels, and manual or automatic ignition.
WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF HAVING A PELLET STOVE?
The advantages and benefits of a pellet stove far outweigh the disadvantages of an open wood burning fireplace. Pellet stoves are easy to operate, convenient, environmentally friendly, and safer, as they give off less smoke and creosote. They give off far greater efficiency of heat allowing you to use your centralized heating unit less to heat your home. This lowers your heating bills and reduces harmful emissions. In addition, the fuel—the pellets—are inexpensive and easy to store and usually made from recycled materials, such as unused sawdust.
One disadvantage of a pellet stove is that it runs on electricity, so you will need to prepare for alternative heating sources in case of a power outage. Another disadvantage is that you might need to buy your fuel in advance for the season and keep it in a safe dry place as pellet fuel is not available everywhere. Pellet stoves and heating systems are becoming more popular and pellet fuel is becoming more available in more places everyday.
We hope you’ve found this information to be beneficial in your decision making process. If you have other pellet stove related questions, please don’t hesitate to come by the showroom and discuss your heating options with the professionals at The Chimney Care Company today. Our knowledgeable staff will be more than happy to answer your questions!
Better Heating Efficiency with a Fireplace Insert
Not all fireplaces are created equal. Depending on the age of your home and/or the overall condition of your fireplace and all of its parts, you could be sending some serious money right up the chimney during the heating season; it’s estimated that a typical homeowner can send up to 8% of valuable heated air flying straight out the chimney. If reading this statistic has you even the slightest bit scared about using your fireplace as a heating source when the weather turns cold, don’t write it off just yet. The good news is you can transform your fireplace into an efficient room heater simply by adding a fireplace insert.
WHAT CAN A FIREPLACE INSERT DO FOR ME?
An insert is the answer to making your old fireplace more efficient without having to replace it, and, most of the time, they can be retrofitted to your existing wood-burning fireplace seamlessly. Adding an insert will only slightly (in most cases) change the overall look of your fireplace; however, it can take it from a net energy loser to a helpful tool in keeping those skyrocketing heating costs at bay during the winter months.
CAN I AFFORD A FIREPLACE INSERT?
You’re probably sitting there wondering how much an insert is going to set you back. To be completely honest, they are far from cheap. Nevertheless, they are affordable. Inserts can run anywhere from $2,000 to $4,000 depending on the time of year and your geographic location. This is an all-inclusive price, which includes installation and a new specialized chimney liner.
ARE THERE DIFFERENT TYPES OF FIREPLACE INSERTS?
If you’re considering a fireplace insert, there are a few options available to you. Choosing the type of heater that best meets the needs of your particular application is as simple as deciding what’s most important to you—burning real wood and having heat even if the power goes out (choose a wood-burning insert), burning a bio-fuel without the hassle of wood in an attempt to minimize your carbon footprint (choose a pellet insert), or flipping on fast heat in a particular portion of the home (choose a gas insert).
Because fuel prices are in a constant state of flux, any savings measurements are really just a moving target. Generally speaking, a homeowner who opts to have an insert installed is looking at an annual savings of anywhere from $75-$250 dollars. While this may not sound like a tremendous amount of savings considering the upfront costs of the insert itself, the savings over the long haul can and will really add up over the lifespan of the insert. Your home is an investment, and, as such, any decision you make needs to include at least a small measure of foresight. We carry a wide variety of quality appliances, and in our 20+ years in business, we’ve kept a focus on finding and recommending only the industry’s most reliable and beautiful products. Whether you prefer the convenience of researching products online or getting up close and personal to compare products, the professionals at The Chimney Care Company have you covered. Give us a call today at (513) 248-9600 or stop in and visit our showroom to see all we have to offer.
EPA Increasing Fireplace and Stove Efficiency Standards
Wood smoke from home heating is the primary source of wintertime air pollution in our country. It contains fine particulates, gases, and even toxic compounds. These pollutants can cause eye, nose, and throat irritation, as well as respiratory disease. Wintertime wood burning for residential home heating can be a significant source of pollution both inside your home and out. Wood smoke impacts occur during the winter months when cold temperatures contribute to increased burning. Frequent winter inversions cause air stagnation, which causes pollutant levels to exceed healthy air quality standards.
PROGRAMS TO ASSIST WITH CHANGING OUT WOODSTOVES
As a result of the increased attention now being given to air quality, many states have begun to offer tax credits and incentives (in the form of woodstove change-out programs) that offer rebates to replace old uncertified stoves with new cleaner stoves. Most programs allow consumers to trade in an old woodstove for a new one, at a discounted price, but some only allow trade outs to lower emitting appliances such as pellet and gas stoves, or give much higher rebates for pellet or gas stoves. The Alliance for Green Heat believes that “many wood stove change out programs haven’t taken a holistic approach and, as a result, air quality improvements have been somewhat undermined.” The Alliance has urged the EPA to use their leverage in directing funds to areas that have demonstrated a level of commitment, such as banning the installation of new exempt woodstoves, old, second hand uncertified woodstoves and/or unregulated outdoor wood boilers.
MAKING STRIDES IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION
Unlike cars, refrigerators and virtually every other appliance, woodstoves can last so long that they remain in use for upwards of 50 years. As a result, most woodstoves are still not EPA certified, a program that wasn’t started until 1990. Pollution from older stoves, or from incorrectly used new stoves, is a serious health concern, and one of the best ways to get them out of circulation is a changeout program.
CONSIDERING WHAT THE EPA HAS TO SAY
Back in the late 1980’s, the EPA established a mandatory smoke emission limit for catalytic woodstoves (4.1g/h) and for non-catalytic woodstoves (7.5g/h). Today, all woodstoves sold in the U.S. must meet these limits, and many are certified for emissions down in the 1 to 4g/h range. The EPA certified emission rate is a reliable number that can be compared from one model to the next.
When shopping for a new woodstove, you’ll have two main sources of information to help you in making your decision: manufacturer’s literature and the advice you receive from the woodstove dealer. This is where knowing who to trust is of the utmost importance. The professionals at The Chimney Care Company would like to be your trusted resource for this information. We can help you find the perfect heating appliance, one of which might just be perfect for your needs, and install it for you, too. Our technicians can help you weigh your choices and their benefits and land on the perfect new appliance. Stop by our showroom and talk to our home heating experts about what you’re envisioning for your home, and we’ll do the rest.