Chimney Care Company's Blog

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!

What To Do About Animals in Your Chimney

Each spring, animals from squirrels and raccoons to bats and birds look for the perfect place to build their nests. Often times, that “perfect place” turns out to be a chimney. If you hear the telltale sounds of scuffling animal paws, flapping wings or chirping in your chimney, you’re probably left wondering what to do when an animal is in your chimney. Here’s your step-by-step guide to dealing with this particular issue.

Don’t try to deal with the animals on your own.

Trying to extract an animal from your chimney could be a dangerous task and even at times lead to injuries. Resist the temptation to deal with an animal on your own. Never try to smoke an animal out of the chimney, this will likely kill or severely injure the animal, leaving you with an even bigger problem. Additionally, some species, such as chimney swifts, are protected – to remove them from your chimney during their nesting is illegal.

Close off openings between your chimney in your home.

A major problem of having an animal in your chimney is that it could make its way into your home, bringing unwanted diseases and causing extensive damages to your home. If you can hear an animal in your chimney,  first, create as many barriers as possible between the flue and your home. Next, close your chimney damper to prevent the animal or bird from descending into your firebox, and finally, close your fireplace doors to create one final barrier to prevent the animal from invading your home.

Call in the professionals.

Once you have your chimney blocked off as well as possible, call in a professional to help deal with the animal nesting in your chimney. Some chimney sweeps will remove animals themselves, or you might need a company specifically skilled in animal removal.

Have your chimney cleaned and inspected.

Once the animal has been removed from the chimney, you will need the chimney swept and inspected to remove any debris and ensure that the animal hasn’t left behind any damages. The debris and damages left behind can leave your home at risk for a chimney fire. You’ll want to rely on a CSIA-certified chimney sweep to be sure that your chimney is safe to use again.

Install a chimney cap to prevent future animal intrusion.

To prevent animal intrusions from happening, have your chimney outfitted with a caged chimney cap.  With a chimney cap firmly in place, animals and birds won’t be able to access the flue opening when they’re looking for a place to nest. Your chimney sweep should always check the condition of your chimney cap during your annual inspection to verify that it is secure and will continue to protect your chimney.

If you have animals or birds rustling in your chimney — or if you’d like to prevent an animal from nesting in your chimney this spring — call the Chimney Care Co. to schedule an appointment. We can clean and inspect your chimney after an animal intrusion or install a new chimney cap to keep animals out of your flue.

Gas Fireplace Tune-Ups and Cleaning

Gas fireplaces are a modern convenience. They give you the heat and ambiance of a traditional fireplace, without the hassle of building and maintaining a fireplace. They’re also cleaner, without the ash, soot and smoke of a wood-burning fireplace.

Because of their ease of use and clean, efficient burn, homeowners often forget that a gas fireplace requires annual cleaning and maintenance, just like their wood-burning counterparts.

Why your gas fireplace needs an annual tune-up and inspection.

Gas fireplaces are incredibly easy to use and nearly maintenance free. However, the Chimney Safety Institute of America recommends that the gas fireplaces and their chimneys undergo annual cleaning and inspection. This is just like any other type of heating stove or fireplace. With gas fireplaces, chimneys can still face damage or deterioration that compromises their structure and safe use. In addition, chimneys can become blocked by animals, leaves or debris. An annual chimney cleaning and inspection ensures that the chimney is structurally sound. Making it free from damage, and clear of any animals or obstructions.

The inside of the gas fireplace also requires an annual cleaning and inspection for safe operation. The burners and vents can become clogged with debris, either from dust or deteriorating bits of your ceramic logs. Over time, glass can crack or chip, compromising its function, and other parts of the fireplace. This includes seals, valves, fans, and blowers. Even the pilot light can malfunction or fail. Your annual gas fireplace cleaning clears away any debris that could inhibit the fireplace’s safe function. Also, the inspection checks for any problems that could compromise the safe or efficient function of your gas fireplace.

What the annual cleaning and inspection of a gas fireplace entails:

During your annual gas fireplace tune-up and inspection, your Chimney Care Co. fireplace technician will clean and inspect your chimney flue. They will also check your gas fireplace for proper clearances and venting. This is to make sure that valves, seals, gaskets, fans, blowers and the pilot are functioning properly. The technician also will look for damaged or worn-out fireplace components. These include cracks, gaps or scrapes within the firebox, signs of condensation around the chimney, and signs of leaking gases into the home.

What you can do to maintain your fireplace.

In between your annual gas fireplace cleaning and inspection, there are some things you can do to keep your gas fireplace operating optimally. Each month, especially during the months when the fireplace is in use, clean both sides of the fireplace glass. Inspect the glass for signs of cracks or chips. Inspect the inside of the fireplace for signs of deteriorating logs. Clear away any dust or spider webs from the inside of the fireplace. Always call for service if you notice any problems with the fireplace, such as difficulty igniting the pilot or malfunctioning blowers.

Call to schedule your gas fireplace tune-up and inspection today!

Before you fire up your gas fireplace for the season, call The Chimney Care Co. to schedule your gas fireplace tune-up and inspection! We’ll make sure that your gas fireplace is clean and safe for a winter’s worth of heating. We will also talk to you about regular maintenance to keep your gas fireplace burning cleanly, safely and efficiently all year long.

Don’t forget to have your furnace flue swept

As a responsible homeowner, you know the importance of having your chimney and fireplace swept and inspected each year, usually in the fall before you light your first fire. What you might not know is that the annual sweeping and inspection of your furnace flue is just as important as your annual fireplace and chimney maintenance. Your annual furnace maintenance can keep your family safe from the dangers of carbon monoxide and help your furnace running efficiently.

Why furnace flue sweeping matters

Any type of heating appliance that involves combustions, whether it’s a wood-burning fireplace or a gas furnace, releases by products that should be exhausted through a flue. When it comes to your gas- or oil-fueled furnace, the byproducts that are released during combustion are highly corrosive. When they are left too long on the walls of your flue, they can cause a thinning of the flue that eventually can lead to holes. A crack or hole in your chimney flue is a dangerous thing because it can allow deadly carbon monoxide to seep from the flue into your home.

When your furnace and its flue haven’t been cleaned properly, it also can reduce the efficiency of your furnace and shorten its lifespan. As with any time of a combustible appliance, furnaces must “breathe” to work efficiently. They draw air in to fuel combustion and then exhaust the byproducts of that combustion. A furnace that can’t breathe will work harder to heat your home, costing you more money in home-heating bills. The lack of efficiency also means that your furnaces is working harder than it should to heat your home, which can shorten your furnace’s lifespan, which can have you putting money into service calls or even a new furnace before you should need to.

How to maintain your furnace properly

Just like you do with your fireplace and chimney, you should be performing annual fall maintenance on your furnace and furnace flue. First, you should have your furnace professionally cleaned and inspected. That means having the flue and combustion chamber swept. The flue pipe should be closely inspected for signs of damage or corrosion. In an oil furnace, the oil filter should be changed. In all furnaces, the air filter should be changed at least once per year, and the blower belt should be checked while the filter is removed. A professional also can test the efficiency of your furnaces combustion and adjust the amount of fuel the burner receives, if needed. In a gas furnace, the burner tubes should be vacuumed. Finally, fall is a good time to vacuum all of the heating grates around your home to make sure they are dust free, which can help improve the efficiency of your furnace and your indoor air quality.

Schedule your furnace flue sweeping today

If you’re not sure who to call to have your furnace flue cleaned, call the home-heating experts at The Chimney Care Co.We can have your furnace flue swept, inspected and ready for the cold winter months.

To Remove or Not Remove Ash

Any homeowner with a wood stove or fireplace is faced with the problem of ash removal. If you’re burning wood, you’re going to have to deal with ash. The actual amount of ash that’s generated will be determined by the type of wood you burn (hardwood or softwood) and the temperature at which your fires are burning. Informed homeowners look forward to this ash, as it can be used as a lawn and garden fertilizer to provide vital nutrients and reduce acidity. It can also be used on compost piles to maintain neutral acidity levels as well as on icy driveways and sidewalks to provide much-needed traction. However, don’t be too hasty with your ash removal, as a little bit is actually a good thing!

Wood Fire Maintenance for Heating Efficiency

The primary objective in maintaining wood fires is to prevent the wood from smoldering because any smoke that passes out of the firebox has the potential to condense as creosote in the chimney and/or be emitted outdoors as air pollution. Believe it or not, there will be little to no visible smoke from your chimney if your wood is burning with bright, active flames. A 1-2” layer of ash and coal at the bottom of your fireplace or wood stove can actually assist with the combustion process, thereby enabling your fire to burn with a much higher intensity. If the ashes are cleaned out too soon, however, you may find that it’s more difficult to build a new fire because you must heat up all of the brick in the firebox to saturation before the fire is able to really take off.

How to Deal with Wood Ashes

Try to remove a small amount of ash frequently. During the coldest part of the heating season, it may be appropriate to remove a small amount of ash each morning before the new fire is kindled to make raking coals and kindling loads throughout the day more convenient. It is important to remember that ashes often contain live coals, which can stay hot and give off carbon monoxide for days. The best practice, whenever possible, is to leave live coals in the fireplace or wood stove to assist with the kindling of a subsequent wood load. When rekindling from coals, it is best to rake the coals towards the air inlet, place the new wood behind the coals, and always place the smallest, driest piece of firewood directly on the coals to act as the ignition source for the rest of the new wood. This small piece of wood should begin flaming almost immediately and will ignite the larger pieces as it burns.

The End of the Heating System Is Different

When the weather starts warming up, many homeowners begin shifting their sights to doing things outdoors and forget all about their fireplace and/or wood stove. This can prove detrimental to both. Wood ashes actually have the potential to draw moisture that can wreak havoc on the metal components and masonry. Ash is extremely acidic and, when combined with moisture, can be extremely destructive. It is best to remove all ashes from your fireplace and stove at the end of the heating season to prevent this from happening.

Here at Chimney Care Company, we’ve been sweeping and cleaning chimneys for 25 years, and we’ve seen the difference that an annual sweep can make in the lifetime and enjoyment of the chimney and fireplace. Don’t wait until you’re experiencing problems with your chimney system—click here to schedule your sweeping and inspection today! We guarantee that our sweeps will get the job done right the first time! When you have your chimney inspected by our trained and experienced crews, you can be sure that is a chimney service you don’t have to worry about anymore.