It’s still very hot outside as summer refuses to die. With record highs every day and your AC running, you’re not thinking about your chimney and fireplace. It’s just sitting there, going unused, not bothering anybody…

Now’s the time to use this quick checklist and get your chimney ready for burn season.

Summertime is an important time for the maintenance and upkeep on your chimney and fireplace, as keeping them clean and protected now will lead to a successful heating experience in the fall and winter.

Here’s your checklist of things to do with your chimney during these dog days of summer:

• Clean the hearth
  This one may seem like a no-brainer, but a lot of people forget to clean out the ash, sweep, and dust their hearth. You’re going to want to wear gloves and old clothes because this job gets dirty! Scoop out the ashes with an ash shovel. Use a small broom and dustpan to sweep out the rest. Next, you’re going to want to use your favorite gentle cleaner and scrubber to get the creosote up and give everything a final wipe off and vacuum.
• Close the damper tight
  A lot of people who have fireplaces forget to close their dampers. This means there is essentially a hole in your house letting cool air out! Be sure to close the damper tight after you’re done using your fireplace for the season.
• Turn off pilot light (gas)
  If you’re using a gas fireplace, you should know if you have a standing pilot light and make sure it’s out for the summer.
• Replace the decorations!
  If that fireplace was just sitting there going unused, you may have used that space to decorate. Move the plants from around the hearth and get ready for your chimney to host stockings and nutcrackers instead.
  
• Call Southern Chimneys to remove creosote
  Before giving those hands and knees too much of a workout, you honestly probably won’t be able to get all that creosote out that’s been storing up all winter. Even if you do, you certainly won’t be able to get aaaall up in it. That’s when you need to give a professional chimney service like Southern Chimneys a call.
• Call Southern Chimneys to check or install a chimney cap
  It’s always a very wet summer in the southeast. Chimney caps keep out things like moisture and animals that can wind up in your chimney at summertime.

Consider making end-of-summer the time for your yearly chimney inspection!

It’s always smart to get a jump on things and schedule your chimney and fireplace work and inspections long before the weather cools down. Now’s the time to clean up, decorate, and get things inspected so you can enjoy your living room, clean and safe, all year long.

This post first appeared on https://southernchimneys.com

Homeowners often spend the spring season completing maintenance and cleaning. However, if you didn’t include your chimney in your spring cleaning, it needs to be done before fall. Your chimney has been working for you, now you can return the favor by hiring a certified professional for the job. Don’t settle for an amateur. Schedule chimney services with a certified chimney sweep now, and your system will be ready for fires again this fall.

Hiring the Best

The chimney industry has been largely under-regulated for many years, but that doesn’t mean you have to hire just anyone for the job. When you’re looking to hire an expert who will come into your home and complete a service, it’s best to look only for professionals who have undergone training and testing that identifies them as exceptional. The Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) has an extensive process that involves classroom or online education, in-person testing over federal standards and fire safety, recertification every three years, a stringent Code of ethics, and an impressive network of professionals. When you’re looking for the best, look no further than CSIA certified chimney sweeps.

Billy Sweet Chimney Sweep

At Billy Sweet Chimney Sweep our sweeps are CSIA certified. That means we pledge to put safety first. We strive to offer honest services at a fair price. We comply with all applicable building codes and are familiar with all the municipal codes in the communities we serve. We educate consumers about safe chimney and venting practices. Our sweeps continue education in order to stay on top of the ever-changing industry and technologies. These things and more are included in the CSIA code of ethics, which if found in violation, can lead to revocation of membership.

30 Years of Experience Serving New England

For over 30 years, Billy Sweet Chimney Sweep has been servicing chimneys in New England. We provide the highest level of customer service and care to our customers in Boston, North Shore, and Scarborough. If you reside in the area and are looking to schedule chimney services, don’t settle for less than the best. Our record speaks for itself, but our customers speak up as well with online reviews and continued service. We are proud to serve our communities year after year, and we feel our community involvement helps make us the best providers in the area.

Scheduling Now Before Fall

If you schedule now, you can have your chimney sweep completed before fall. When you’re looking for a chimney professional, look no further than a Billy Sweet Chimney Sweep. We offer chimney sweeps and inspections year-round, but especially necessary in the fall. If you schedule your inspection or sweep now, there is still time to make necessary repairs before fall. If you wait, you may find yourself in the cold, unable to light a fire when temperatures drop.

Call Billy Sweet Chimney Sweep to schedule your chimney services now. Dial 617-469-4528 or schedule online.

The post Hire a Safe Sweep This Fall appeared first on Billy Sweet Chimney Sweep.

The weather here in the Washington DC metro area can change quickly. Mild autumn temperatures can turn bitterly cold overnight and then back to normal. During the winter, the temperature often rises above freezing. These big temperature shifts are hard on your home’s chimney. The freezing and thawing cycle they cause can weaken its structural integrity. There are steps that you can take to prevent your chimney from being damaged by the wear-and-tear of our winter weather.

Why Freezing and Thawing Damages Chimneys

Bricks and mortar are naturally porous. They absorb moisture—from rain and melting snow—much like a sponge. When temperatures dip below freezing, the water that’s seeped into the masonry expands as it freezes. When the temperatures rise, the masonry contracts as the water thaws. This process of expanding and contracting weakens the bricks and mortar causing it to crack, splinter or break. If failing bricks aren’t replaced and broke mortar isn’t repaired, your chimney can begin to tilt or lean. It could, eventually, collapse if too much of the masonry is weak and damaged.

How to Prevent Weather Damage

There are three ways that you can prevent your chimney from being damaged by the freezing and thawing cycle.

1. Invest in a Chimney Cap

A chimney cap is an affordable investment in your chimney that you’ll benefit from for years. The primary purpose of a chimney cap is to prevent rain, sleet, and snow from falling down the chimney. It acts like an umbrella, covering the chimney’s opening. It prevents water from running down the chimney and seeping into the masonry from the inside. An added benefit is that it has metal mesh around the sides. The mesh barrier prevents stray sparks from landing on the chimney and animals from flying in or making a nest inside.  

2. Have the Masonry Waterproofed

Treating the exterior of the chimney with a waterproofing sealant prevents water from seeping into the masonry from the outside. It’s important to choose a waterproofing sealant that’s designed for chimneys. It should be 100% vapor permeable so that condensation produced by the fire can pass through the masonry instead of accumulating inside the chimney.

3. Schedule Annual Chimney Inspections

The National Fire Protection Association recommends a professional inspection of the chimney every year to prevent a house fire and carbon monoxide exposure. Another benefit of a chimney inspection is that a certified chimney technician will look for signs of water intrusion and water damage. During their inspection, they will notice cracked bricks or broken mortar that have been damaged by the freeze-thaw cycle. They will determine how the water go in. After the inspection, they will recommend the best solution to repair the damage and prevent future water damage. The sooner water damage is discovered, and future damage is prevented, the more money you will save.

Repairing a crumbling chimney is expensive. You can avoid that cost by taking these steps to protect your chimney from our erratic weather. The CSIA- and CCP-certified chimney technicians on our team are experts at chimney maintenance and repair. We are trusted by residents throughout Washington, DC, Virginia, and Maryland.

The post Effects Temperature Changes Can Have On Your chimney appeared first on Highs Chimney.

The national fire protection association recommends that you hire a chimney sweep at least once a year to inspect and clean the fireplace. While this is the case, you don’t have to wait for a whole year to do it. Hire a professional if you notice an issue with your fireplace. The instances when you should hire the expert include:

When there are animals and birds in your chimney

If there are flapping, fluttering, squeaking, scratching, or scurrying noises inside the walls of your chimney, you might be hosting animals in your unit.

Birds are the most common to find in the chimney especially if you have gone for a long time without cleaning it. Birds nest in the chimney as it’s warmer. Chimneys also provide protection from predators.

Chimney swifts, the most common birds in fireplaces, build nests inside the flue liners. Other birds nest on top of the damper. Regardless of the type of birds in your fireplace, their nests limit the flow of gases which can lead to chimney fires.

The limited flow of gases also puts you and your family at the risk of intoxication.

To get rid of the birds, contact the animal prevention department in your area. After removing the birds, the chimney contractor should then install a chimney cap or cover to prevent other birds from getting in.

When creosote has buildup in the chimney

Creosote is what remains after the wood has burned. It looks like harmless grease but when you allow it to accumulate over several months, it can be a serious fire hazard. There are three stages of creosote buildup:

1^st degree: It forms when you have relatively good burning wood or high gas temperatures in the flue. Since the creosote deposition isn’t extensive, you can easily remove it using a chimney brush. If you have the skills you can remove it by yourself, but for peace of mind, have it removed by an expert.

2^nd Degree: This one looks like shiny black flakes and it’s often larger than the soot in the first degree. Since it’s thicker and harder to scrub, it’s always recommended that you hire a professional to help you get rid of it.

3^rd Degree: This is full-blown creosote accumulation. It results when your chimney isn’t allowing complete combustion. Creosote at this stage resembles tar coating. Since the creosote is extremely concentrated and hard to remove, don’t try to remove it by yourself as you won’t remove it as well as you should.

Hire an experienced expert who has handled similar creosote problems in the past.

When your chimney is smoking

It’s normal for the chimney to smoke, but the smoke shouldn’t get back into the house; therefore, if your chimney is returning smoke into the house, you have a problem that should be addressed by a chimney expert.

Smoke can return into the house due to many reasons:

Chimney blockage: If your chimney has blocked due to bird’s nests, creosote build-up, or debris and twigs, hire a certified chimney cleaning services provider to inspect the chimney and safely get rid of the blockage.

For you to avoid dangerous smoke buildup and prevent chimney fires, make a habit of undertaking annual chimney cleanups.

Poorly designed chimney: When you hire an inexperienced chimney contractor, he/she is bound to improperly design the chimney. The chimney will have smoking problems if it’s too short. An experienced chimney expert will be able to tell when the chimney is poorly designed and come up with a way of fixing it.

Experienced chimney contractors can make modifications to the chimney. If the damage is extensive, they may simply have to bring down the chimney.

Burning the wrong wood: Finally, your chimney will smoke if you are burning wet, unseasoned wood. In addition to the wood producing a lot of smoke, it’s also frustrating to light.

Verdict

For you to reduce the amount of smoke produced by the wood, only burn seasoned hardwood. The wood should have airdried for at least six months. In addition to the wood reducing the amount of smoke in your chimney, it also reduces the amount of creosote that forms in the chimney. It has also been shown to reduce the need for chimney repair Annapolis.

This post first appeared on https://www.firstclasschimneyservices.com