Chimney Care Company's Blog
What does a chimney damper do?
Chimneys are relatively simple to use with a few working components. One exception is the chimney damper. Most homeowners are familiar with the routine of opening and closing the chimney damper before and after they use their fireplaces. But what exactly does a chimney damper do? What is the best way to operate your chimney damper?
What chimney dampers do?
Your chimney provides a portal to your home’s exterior so that smoke from your fireplace can safely exit. The damper sits just above the firebox at the base of the chimney. Most dampers are a simple metal flap that opens out of the way to let smoke exit your home when the fireplace is in use, and they closes to keep the warm air from exiting your home.
Without a damper, your chimney is an open window to the outside. Cold drafts can blow down your damper. Animals and debris can also find their way into your home without a barrier between your chimney and fireplace. When your fireplace isn’t in use, the warm air from your home rises up and out of the home. Without a chimney damper in place when your fireplace isn’t in use, you can dramatically lower your home’s efficiency and increase your wintertime home-heating costs.
How chimney dampers work?
While chimney dampers are simple to use, they do require proper operation to keep it working properly. Before you light a fire in your fireplace, you need to make sure your damper is completely opened. If your damper is closed, then smoke from your fireplace will come pouring back into your home. You do have to be sure that the damper is open. If a damper isn’t open entirely, it can cause your fire to burn less efficiently or extinguish entirely. In some cases, smoke from your chimney might find its way into your home. After a fire has extinguished completely, close the damper to be sure that you don’t lose heat from your home or suffer from cold drafts.
Dampers are very important, and they do eventually fail. Moisture and excessive heat can cause the metal components of the damper to rust or warp. This can prevent it from closing completely or cause it to get stuck in the open or closed position. If your damper is no longer operating effectively or easily, call the team at Chimney Care Co! We can find a chimney damper that works effectively for you home!
The Convenience and Beauty of a Gas Fireplace
Gas fireplaces have become a popular choice among homeowners, especially those looking to add ambiance to their homes. It’s no wonder they are so popular, from installation to operation to maintenance, they are the most convenient fireplace. They also add incomparable beauty to your home.
Convenient installation
Gas fireplaces are among the easiest to install. Because they don’t need to contain the intense combustion of wood-fueled hearth appliances, gas fireplaces can be installed with zero clearance to surrounding combustibles. They also require minimal venting. Some require no venting at all, which means they can be installed anywhere in the home that a gas line can be installed.
Convenient operation
Once installed, gas fireplaces are incredibly easy to operate. Flip a switch or press a button, and you have a beautiful, roaring fire. When you’re done, turn the fire off — no clean-up required. Many homeowners even choose to have their gas fireplaces wired to a thermostat. In these instances, the thermostat can be programmed so the fireplace ignites. The flames can be adjusted to the right height, and the fire extinguishes as soon as the preferred temperature is reached in your home.
Convenient maintenance
Over time, gas fireplaces remain extremely convenient. Unlike wood-burning fireplaces, gas fireplaces don’t generate messy smoke and soot that builds up in the chimney. They require less attention from a professional chimney sweep. However, they do require the occasional cleaning to keep the logs and glass looking fresh. They should be professionally cleaned and inspected once per year to keep them operating safely and efficiently. Repairs on gas fireplaces tend to be simple and inexpensive, and they tend to operate for decades without significant improvements.
Beauty
Gas fireplaces are incredibly beautiful. For those who prefer a traditional look, gas fireplaces are now manufactured with very realistic looking ceramic logs, and the flames give a beautiful, natural looking yellow. Many models are even equipped with beds of faux ash and coal that have a realistic and authentic look to your fire.
When it comes to the style of the unit itself, gas fireplaces can be found to suit nearly any style. They are sleek and modern, with clean lines and burning rocks or floating flames. There are also rustic and classic models that are nearly indistinguishable from traditional wood-burning fireplaces.
If you’re ready to enjoy the convenience and beauty of a gas fireplace, call the Chimney Care Co. or stop by the Chimney Care Fireplace and Stove showroom to speak with one of our fireplace experts. We can have you relaxing near your beautiful new gas fireplace soon!
The Dangers of Creosote & Reasons to Invest in a Certified Chimney Sweep
Every fall, fire safety, home improvement, and chimney experts caution homeowners about the importance of having their chimneys swept and inspected. If you have a wood-burning appliance, creosote is the primary concern with your chimney. Here’s why.
Every time wood burns in a fireplace, creosote has the potential to form in the chimney. As the smoke from your wood fire travels up the chimney it cools, and forms condensation on the chimney walls. That condensation hardens into creosote. If the creosote isn’t swept away, it continues to accumulate on the walls of the chimney, and that’s when problems can occur. Creosote is highly flammable. When it builds to a thickness of 1/8 inch or more, it can easily catch fire. An errant spark or burning ember that enters the chimney from your fireplace can cause the creosote to ignite. When ignited by a spark, creosote can damage your chimney or even pose a risk to your home.
A fire risk isn’t the only danger creosote buildup can cause. Creosote can build up and block your chimney, restricting the flow of smoke up and out of the chimney and allowing the smoke and carbon monoxide from your fireplace to be forced back into your home. Creosote that flakes off of your chimney walls also can pose health risks, and, at a minimum, creosote can cause a foul odor to fill your home.
The value of a certified chimney sweep
The surest way to save your home from the dangers posed by a buildup of creosote is to hire a certified chimney sweep to clean and inspect your chimney. Chimney sweeps use high-speed rotating brushes to free the creosote buildup from your chimney walls. In addition, your chimney sweep also will perform a thorough inspection of your chimney and fireplace to ensure that there are no weaknesses, damage or other problems that could put your home at risk of a fire or carbon monoxide leak. Many chimney sweeps also will conclude their sweepings and inspections with a video inspection of the inside of your chimney so you can be sure that all of the creosote has been safely swept away, and you can see first hand the state of the interior of your chimney.
Save your chimney — and your home — from the dangers of a chimney fire with a certified chimney sweeping. If your chimney hasn’t been swept in recent memory, it’s time to schedule an appointment now! To remove creosote and reduce the risk of chimney fires, your chimney should be swept and inspected at least once per year, preferably in between fire-burning seasons. Before you light your first fire of the season, call the Chimney Care Co. to schedule your sweeping and inspection.
Pellet stove problems? We can fix them!
Homeowners who choose pellet stoves or fireplaces most often do so because pellet appliances are lower maintenance than wood-burning appliances. There’s no need to stack, store or haul wood. Pellet stove is automatically fed the correct amount of pellets to heat your home, even when you’re sleeping or away.
However, pellet stoves aren’t completely maintenance free. With the amount of ash and dust generated, and the number of working components they feature, pellet stoves and fireplaces require added care. If you’re having problems with your pellet stove or fireplace, the Chimney Care Co. is here to help!
Pellet stove won’t light
Pellet stoves rely on electricity for igniting, though some models feature battery backups so stoves still light in an electricity outage. If your pellet stove isn’t lighting, first check your power. If the unit is plugged in and the circuit breaker hasn’t blown, you likely need to call the professionals to inspect and repair your pellet stove’s ignition.
Lackluster burn
Another common problem with pellet stoves is a lackluster burn. If the flame of your pellet stove isn’t burning as vigorously as it normally does, or the fire is producing a lot of soot and dirtying the glass on the stove doors, then you have a problem. Pellet stove use a series of fans to draw air to fuel the fire. A low flame usually is a sign of an air problem. There could also be a clogged duct, a faulty fan or broken seals on the fireplace or stove doors. A low flame isn’t a problem that should be ignored, but you should call the professionals.
Faulty auger
The auger in your pellet stoves feeds the pellets at the right pace for your pellet stove. If your auger is turning slowly or entirely stopped, your pellet stove might need professional attention. With the stove off, you can check the auger for a stuck pellet or an influx of dust. If you can’t see a problem, call and schedule an appointment with our professionals right away.
Annual cleaning and maintenance
To keep your pellet stove or fireplace operating efficiently, the entire system needs to be swept and inspected at least once per year by a certified professional. During your annual cleaning and inspection, your sweep will clean the unit’s chimney, as well as clean away dust or ash that could interfere with the operation of it. The inspection ensure that all of the working components of your pellet stove or fireplace are in perfect working condition to heat your home this winter.
If your pellet stove isn’t working properly — whether it isn’t starting, isn’t turning off, is creating a lot of smoke or has an auger that isn’t working — call the Chimney Care Co. to schedule an appointment today! You can also call us at 513-248-9600 to schedule your annual cleaning and maintenance for your pellet stove or fireplace with us too!
Check out our showroom specials!
Longing to upgrade your hearth or add a heating stove or fireplace to supplement the heat and increase the ambiance in your home? Do you feel like a new hearth appliance just might not be in your budget right now? The Chimney Care Co. can help! We’re dedicated to meeting our customers’ hearth needs, regardless of their budgets. That’s why we offer showroom specials — dramatically discounted hearth appliances that can help you get the right fireplace, heating stove or fireplace insert for the right price!
About our showroom specials
You won’t find better discounts than Chimney Care Co. showroom specials. These quality hearth appliances are discounted by as much as 50 percent of the retail cost! You will find plenty of items at these great prices; the showroom specials section at the Chimney Care Co. is full of high-quality hearth products in great shape with plenty of life ahead of them. The Chimney Care Co.’s showroom specials are top-of-the-line products. They include discontinued models and former display models.
Showroom special products
You never know what you’ll find in our showrooms specials sections, but you’re sure to find great products at a great price! Some of the items that have been included as showroom specials in the past include:
• The Hearthstone Tuscon direct vent stove,
• The Lopi Sturbridge direct vent stove,
• The Hearthstone Bennington wood stove, and
• Much, much more!
Finding the right showroom for you
If you’re searching for a fireplace, fireplace insert or heating stove at a great price but don’t know how to start your search, the Chimney Care Co. can help! When you come in to check out our showroom specials, you will get all of the benefits of doing business with the Chimney Care Co. Our fireplace specialists can listen to your home-heating needs and help steer you toward the right hearth appliance for you. On top of our showroom specials, the Chimney Care Co. has plenty of deals and specials. With the guidance of our staff, you are sure to find the fireplace or heating stove to fit your needs and your budget.
Once you find the right hearth appliance for your home, you will benefit from the Chimney Care Co.’s excellent service! Our certified technicians can install your new fireplace, fireplace insert or heating stove the right way. When it’s time for annual cleaning or service, we can help there, too! With showroom specials from the Chimney Care Co., combined with our fantastic service, you will be enjoying that new hearth appliance you didn’t think you could afford this winter. Stop by the Chimney Care Co. today — see what great appliances and great prices are waiting for your as part of our showroom specials!