Fireplace dampers are an important component of your fireplace system and are often overlooked. Dampers serve the critical purpose of closing off the chimney when the fireplace is not in use. It’s an energy efficiency device, saving you money by preventing the loss of heat during the winter and preventing the loss of air conditioning … Continue reading Fireplace Dampers – Throat Dampers vs Top-Mount Dampers
One of the simplest yet most neglected maintenance tasks in the home has to do with your clothes dryer. Failing to do this simple task can sometimes have deadly results. Dangerous dryer fires are extremely common. In fact, in my job as a Certified Dryer Exhaust Technician, I speak to two or three people a … Continue reading How to clean your dryer’s lint screen
It is said that the eyes are the window to the soul. I would say that the fireplace is the soul of the home. Homeowners make a statement by what important items they place on the fireplace mantel. As chimney sweeps, one of the common problems we see during a chimney inspection has to do … Continue reading How high should my fireplace mantel be?
A dryer fire is much more common than you think. The National Fire Protection Association found that from 2010-2014, U.S. fire departments estimated 15,970 fires involving washers and dryers, resulted in 13 deaths, 440 injuries and $238 million in property damage. Out of all those fires, 92% were due to dryer fires. According to the … Continue reading How To Avoid a Dangerous Dryer Fire
As professional chimney sweeps, there’s a common issue that we’ve been running into more and more during the past few years. Contractors, interior designers, and do-it-yourself homeowners are removing the fireplace lintel. Perhaps this is to create, in their minds, a more aesthetically-pleasing fireplace by making a taller firebox opening. However, removing the lintel can … Continue reading Three Reasons NEVER To Remove A Fireplace Lintel
What is a prefab fireplace? A prefabricated fireplace goes by several names–a “prefab” or “factory-built fireplace.” Another term would be “decorative heating appliance.” These fireplace systems are manufactured in a factory, assembled at the customer’s home and installed into the wood framing of the chimney structure. This type of fireplace is tested to the U.L. … Continue reading Frequently Asked Questions about Prefab Fireplaces
I had an interesting conversation with a caller recently. She had emptied her ashes from her fireplace, placed them in her outside trash can and left to run some errands. What she hadn’t realized was that the embers were still hot even though it had been a few days since her last fire. A neighbor … Continue reading How NOT to Burn Down Your House!
Enjoying a warm fire on a cold evening is one of the simple pleasures in life, but not when that beautiful crackling fire is accompanied by the eye-burning smell of smoke. There are a number of causes for fireplace smoking problems, many of which are easily remedied. If you live in areas prone to wind, … Continue reading A Wind Cap vs A Chimney Cap
In 2000, the National Fire Protection Agency, otherwise known as NFPA, addressed chimney inspections. The NFPA established three levels of inspection–Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3. This three-tiered system of chimney inspections can be confusing to homeowners, real estate agents, and even home inspectors. This is a brief explanation to clarify this important subject. … Continue reading Levels of Chimney Inspections
The kids are back to school and life has returned to the normal routine. The leaves are starting to turn colors. Sunrise is later and sunset is earlier. Autumn is here. Soon enough you’ll be looking at the fireplace, wanting to light a fire on a cool evening. Then you realize that you can’t remember … Continue reading Call your chimney sweep today