The leaves are turning, and the nights are getting colder, which means it’s near time to light that first fire of the season. However, many people still don’t realize how crucial it is to use properly seasoned firewood. In this post, we’ll show you why it’s the case.

What Is Seasoned Firewood?

Seasoned firewood is wood that’s been thoroughly dried. If you cut firewood yourself, most experts agree that it’s best to store it in a place where it can dry out for a minimum of six months. If you need wood sooner, you could opt to dry it via a kiln. Kiln-dried firewood can be finished in as little as 75 minutes.

Why You Should Use Seasoned Firewood

The problem with fresh-cut wood is it contains a high level of moisture, which is more difficult to burn, produces more smoke, and is prone to popping. Popping firewood can cause embers and sparks to shoot into the house, putting you at risk of a fire.

Also, more smoke means faster creosote buildup on the inside walls of the chimney, which is a fire risk. Finally, fresh-cut firewood is more difficult to ignite and doesn’t burn as efficiently as seasoned wood, which means you use more wood to keep the fire going.

Seasoned Wood Versus Kiln-Dried

We mentioned that you could dry firewood by storing it in a dry place and letting it sit for approximately six months, or you could use a kiln. But is one method superior? First, if you purchase firewood, seasoned wood is typically cheaper; however, kiln-dried wood offers several advantages. First, when you season firewood, there’s still moisture left inside —how much depends on how long you let it sit out and the environment. Drying wood in a kiln can remove up to 20% more moisture versus letting it sit out.

Another advantage of using kiln-dried wood is that the logs burn hotter for longer, reducing fuel costs. Estimates vary, but typically, you can get the same heat output from one kiln-dried log as you can from three seasoned logs. If you’re worried about smoke and creosote, the fact that kiln-dried wood is drier means it produces less smoke, which means less buildup in your chimney and a reduced risk of a fire. Finally, kiln-drying wood removes pesticides, mold, and pests that you might find in traditional seasoned firewood.

How to Store Wood For Seasoning

If you’re committed to cutting your firewood and seasoning it yourself, the method you use to store it will make a difference in how hot and efficiently it burns. As mentioned, you must store firewood for a minimum of six months or season to season for best results. However, knowing how and where to stack the wood is crucial. It goes without saying, but store your firewood outside to prevent ants, spiders, and other pests that get stuck in the nooks and crannies from infesting your home. It’s best to stack the wood in rows with the bark side down to allow the moisture to evaporate more quickly.

Many people use a firewood rack they purchase or construct to make stacking more manageable and to keep the wood off the ground. Make sure to stack the logs neatly instead of tossing them in a pile for maximum ventilation and moisture evaporation. Finally, use a cover to protect the wood from rain and snow, but leave the front and back open to allow it to breathe. Wherever you choose to stack the wood, make sure it’s in a place that will enable proper airflow to allow it to dry.

About

We offer a full range of chimney and fireplace services, including:

– Chimney Cleaning
– Chimney Inspection
– Chimney Video Scans
– Furnace Flue Cleaning
– Masonry Repairs
– Flue Lining & Re-lining
– Tuckpointing
– Fireplace Insert Sales & Installation
– Wood Stove Sales & Installation
– Firebox Rebuilding
– And More

The post Why You Should Only Use Properly Seasoned Firewood appeared first on .

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

Call Us at 877-959-3534 for Chimney Service

If you see that your chimney bricks have begun to crumble and flake, then you should know that your chimney is already spalling. Which is a chimney condition more common in colder climates.

A chimney inspection and repair are one way to help prevent structural deterioration. If you see chips, cracks, or worn-out mortar, you should try getting it fixed immediately.

Small cracks will cause bigger ones that affect the structural integrity of a chimney and they can also compromise safe fireplace operation. Before you start looking for chimney repair companies, it will help you determine the important aspects of replacement and restoration.

In case you want to know what to do in case your chimney crumbles, read on.

Causes of Spalling Bricks

Several events cause bricks to start decaying like old age, water damage, house-setting, lightning strikes, house-setting, and cheap bricks and mortar.

The Danger Caused by Spalling Bricks

A crumbling chimney leads to all types of unpleasant scenarios. Normally, spalling bricks allow water into the chimney system which causes more compromise and possible chimney liner damage, adjacent and fireplace damper areas of your home like walls, beams, and ceilings.

It is common for a lot of water damage to become unnoticed until a serious safety or health risk happens. This is even more true with mold outbreaks in attics and behind walls that are normally shut. Beyond the structural damage, components, and the house, crumbling bricks can make your chimney collapse. When this occurs, roof parts and items in the yard beneath the chimney can get destroyed. People and pets can give you serious injuries when your chimney collapses.

Call Us at 877-959-3534 for Chimney Service

Crown Repair

Chimneys are normally capped using a mortar that keeps water from entering your house or building from behind the flue and bricks. Contraction cycles and normal expansion throughout the years can lead to cracks. Ignoring the issue results in a chimney damper, fireplace, and smoke damage. Replacing the mortar and applying a good elastomeric coating to seal the chimney crown will spare you from making unnecessary expenses, stress, and effort of doing major chimney crown repair. This will destroy your chimney so make sure to have it repaired in time.

Choose the Right Bricks to Place

Matching style and bricks are important if you want the chimney to look halfway decent after you are done with repairs. You should try your best to fix the mortar and try to look for bricks that look like the current ones.

Replace the Chimney Crown

If the chimney cap is badly damaged or cracked, it requires replacement. The replacement will extend the lifespan of the chimney. Aside from the visible cracks, you will also see falling flue tiles, a rusty firebox or damper, damaged interior walls, and spalling bricks are all signs that you need chimney crown replacement. It is a lot less when you compare it to fixing all problems that are caused by neglect.

Take Out the Spalled Bricks

This is when a cold chisel and club hammer should be used. The mortar around the brick must be scraped out first before the spalling brick so you can pull out everything. Use the drill if you have a hard time getting the mortar out.

Replace the Right Bricks

Style and matching bricks are important if your goal is to make your chimney look halfway decent after you have done the repairs. You must do your best to fix mortar similarly and try finding bricks that look like the ones you currently have.

You can talk to chimney contractors if you need your crumbling chimney fixed.  

Call Us at 877-959-3534 for Chimney Service

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

Call Us at 877-959-3534 for Chimney Service

It can be tempting to start lighting your indoor fireplace now that colder weather is quickly approaching. But it’s crucial, first, to spend money on a comprehensive chimney inspection and sweeping first. According to experts, autumn is the ideal season to schedule a chimney sweep. This is because it enables you to identify any significant problems before winter, produces a cleaner burning experience, and may even enable you to save money on future repairs.

This is why professionals advise autumn chimney sweeps:

Increase Fireplace Longevity

The structure of your chimney, house, and fireplace may be harmed if fire by-products build up. You deserve to reap the rewards of your costly investment for many years to come. By getting a chimney sweep, you remove the by-product buildup and begin the season with a clean fireplace to optimize draft.

Prevent Chimney Fires

Your chimney functions as a passageway for dangerous gasses and other fireplace by-products to exit out of your home. As autumn weather cools down the by-product build-up from the previous season, condensation within the chimney can create a tar-like coating from creosote on the inside of the chimney. Starting a fire with this highly combustible coating on the walls of your chimney puts you at risk for a chimney fire. The easiest way to remove this build-up and prevent a chimney fire is to schedule your inspection and sweeping.

Call Us at 877-959-3534 for Chimney Service

Prevent Odors

One of the primary reasons homeowners install a fireplace is to add elegance and luxury to their home; regrettably, for homeowners who neglect to maintain their chimney clean, an unpleasant odor may start permeating from their fireplaces into their homes.  This is especially true once you start using it again after a period of time.  

No homeowner wants to smell the sour, burnt odor that might be released by a dirty chimney as a result of reactions caused by the heat and humidity of summer, and moisture. By having an autumn chimney sweep, you may reduce the prevalence of these unpleasant odors and maintain a clean and cozy home.

Call Us at 877-959-3534 for Chimney Service

The post Why Autumn Chimney Sweeps Are Important appeared first on Boston’s Best Chimney.

Call Us at 877-959-3534 for Chimney Service

Keeping a chimney safe and efficient requires periodic maintenance that includes sweeping, inspections and timely repairs. But even the best-maintained chimneys occasionally experience problems. Fluesbrothers Chimney & Fireplace of Kansas City, KS, would like to outline five of the more common chimney problems and why they happen.

1. Chimney fires

Most chimney fires are started when creosote ignites inside the flue. Creosote is a byproduct of smoke condensation and can be solid, sticky or puffy in form. Big chimney fires are obvious, but smaller ones may not be.

Many chimney fires start and go out on their own, usually resulting in some level of interior flue damage. The first and best step toward reducing the chances of a chimney fire at your home is to have your flue professionally inspected and swept once a year.

2. Smoke backing up into the house

There are several possible causes of smoke backing up out of the fireplace.

• Your house is too airtight to allow enough air to reach the firebox and create an upward draft
• Exhaust fans, such as in the kitchen or bathroom, are running and drawing air away from the firebox
• The fireplace damper is closed or only partially open
• The air inside the flue is cold and heavy, which hinders the rise of warmer air
• The flue is obstructed

3. Animals and debris in the flue

Squirrels, birds, rodents, raccoons and other small animals like to get into chimneys for shelter and to give birth. Tree debris, such as leaves and twigs, also can find its way into a chimney. These obstructions narrow your flue and prevent smoke from drafting properly. In most cases, the reason for this problem is a severely damaged chimney cap or no chimney cap at all. A secure full-width cap will keep debris out of the chimney.

4. Chimney leaks

Chimney leaks can start in many places within the chimney system, including the chimney cap, chimney crown, flashing and masonry. Damage to any of these parts of a chimney can lead to ongoing water intrusion and widespread damage to other areas of the system as well as nearby home building materials.

Watch for these signs of a leaky chimney:

• Water in the firebox
• White staining, or “efflorescence,” on the exterior chimney bricks (this means water is penetrating the bricks)
• Rusty or squeaky fireplace damper
• Wet patches on the ceiling or walls near the fireplace
• Damp, musty odors coming from the fireplace

5. Smelly chimney

Excess moisture in the flue, which is usually the result of a chimney leak, can cause strong musty odors in the flue. The smell will be worse when moisture mixes with large amounts of soot, oily creosote and nesting materials. Dead animals can also cause an odor in a chimney. Certain species regularly become trapped inside flues and die, unable to get back out. You can prevent most smelly chimney problems with regular chimney sweeping and a quality chimney cap.

Call Us at 877-959-3534 for Chimney Service

The post Common Chimney Problems and Their Causes appeared first on Fluesbrothers Chimney Service.

Call Us at 877-959-3534 for Chimney Service

Let’s be very honest; a whole long year of winter could be irritating sometimes. Isn’t it? Colder seasons bring in more responsibilities for everyone out there who has a chimney on their rooftop. More winter means more snow, rain, and fog, ultimately increasing home and infrastructure costs.

This infrastructure includes a chimney, stove, fireplace, and duct. We all know already that nowadays, our houses need ultra-supervision in terms of maintenance, and you can’t skip that part!

As winters start approaching, a lot of people start freaking out about how to repair a chimney crown or how to install a fireplace. And if you are residing in the USA, you must know how difficult it is to repair a broken chimney crown or install a fireplace. It is super difficult to survive extreme weather conditions if you have zero maintenance of these things.

Are you worried about how much it costs to repair a chimney crown? If that’s the case, then you need to contact a trustworthy chimney repair service and let them do their job. But still, to help you out initially, here is the guide that will help you learn what a chimney crown is and how to get it repaired.

Call Us at 877-959-3534 for Chimney Service

What Is a Chimney & What Are Its Components?

Before sliding into the section on how to repair cracked chimney crowns, it is essential to learn what a chimney is and how chimney components work.
In very simple words, a chimney is a vertical structure usually fitted on the top of the roof and encloses the flues that further carry off smoke out of the house. Available in multiple sizes and materials, a chimney is one of the core components that you need right on the rooftop for smoke evacuation.

In winter, the demand for maintaining a chimney along with its components increases a bit as compared to other seasons. This is where you need to know how your chimney is working and what parts would need a proper repair service. Let’s have a quick look over the essential components of a chimney.

1. Bricks: Bricks are the foundation of your chimney, and if they are in poor condition, your safety may get compromised. Ensure to get your chimney bricks absolutely dry and get the service done from a high-quality chimney service provider.

2. Chimney flue: It is a vertical shoot that allows the combustion materials to exit your home. It is highly recommended by the law as well to line the flue.

3. Chimney liner: It acts as a barrier and prevents the fire from spreading through the home or duct. For this purpose, the best is to use clay tiles that are long-lasting and economical in choice.

4. Chimney cap: This component of the chimney prevents elements from the outdoors from getting into your house from the pathway of the chimney. If you ever find debris coming through the chimney cap, get a chimney cap repairs service near you.

5. Chimney crown: This component is also known as a chimney wash. It is a slab of cement that covers the whole top of the chimney and prevents water from entering it.

6. Chimney chase cover: It is a prefabricated cover used to cover the chimney’s opening. It is usually made up of copper, aluminum, and steel.

7. Chimney flashing: This component is made up of vinyl, copper, or steel and is placed where the chimney connects with the roof. It protects the chimney, roof, and rooms from moisture and leakages.

Call Us at 877-959-3534 for Chimney Service

What Is a Chimney Crown? What Is the Importance of Chimney Crown?

The chimney crown is an essential and the topmost part of the chimney. Its main function is to protect the chimney from water and other outer debris. There are multiple techniques used by different chimney companies to create crowns, and this can have an impact on their longevity and functions.

Some chimney repair companies like High’s chimney sweep use impregnate that extends crown life. Some chimney service companies with poor credit use inferior materials to save money, which puts security at an extreme risk. It is highly important to make the right decision about chimney crown repair because it impacts the lifetime of chimneys as well.

This large concrete slab covers the upper opening of the chimney and protects the brick-and-mortar chimney structure from water and moisture in extreme weather conditions. The chimney lining also becomes secure with the crown installation. The crowns are usually made of concrete but can also be made of metal or stone.

A crown should not be confused with a chimney cap, which is made of metal and primarily covers the chimney. So, in short, the last layer of brick at the top of the chimney is the chimney crown. It is usually about 3 to 4 inches thick and faces downwards.

There are several types of crowns.

1. On-site concrete: Suitable for large chimneys, made of concrete.

2. Finished product: Ideal for smaller chimneys and concrete chimneys

3. Floating crown: Built with an overhang about 2 inches above the chimney. This type of crown takes longer to install but usually lasts longer than other crowns.

How to Repair a Chimney Crown? What Are the Red Alerts to Get a Chimney Crown Repaired?

Now let’s talk about how to repair a crown on your chimney.

First of all, if you have been noticing some issues with your chimney, then schedule an annual chimney inspection every year. If your chimney crown doesn’t work properly, you will feel a smoke smell in the house, moisture and smelly fireplace, and extreme cracks in the chimney.

At this point, get in contact with specialists in the chimney and be sure to use a qualified, professional chimney service company with a good reputation and reviews. There are so many fake companies as well, so it’s better to pay attention to Google reviews.

If the chimney crown is in good shape but cracked, a crown sealant can be used. However, if the crown is already severely damaged, you must get the crown rebuilt.

Mind-Blowing Chimney Facts You May Never Knew

Now that you know when you should get your chimney crown repaired, let’s talk about a few very lesser-known facts related to chimneys.

1. Chimneys were constructed using wood and hay centuries ago. But a huge fire took place in London back in 1666. Then English Courts demanded to build chimneys with brick and mortar.

2. According to the EPA, there are 13 million chimneys and fireplaces in use each year.

3. Chimney fires can burn up to 2000 Farenhites. So, stay cautious.

The fire temperature of the chimney literally blew my mind! These lesser-known facts are really surprising, aren’t they?

Call Us at 877-959-3534 for Chimney Service

The post How To Repair Chimney Crown – Everything You Need to Know About Chimney Crown appeared first on Highs Chimney.

If you’re the type of person who likes to celebrate and decorate, don’t forget Halloween and other fall themes for your fireplace. Sprucing up and decorating the fireplace is quite a trend these days, with endless ideas on how to bring more life, color and energy to the seasons. Fluesbrothers Chimney & Fireplace of Kansas City, KS, would like to share some fall fireplace spruce-up tips that will literally transform your hearth area.

Start with the mantel

If you don’t have a fireplace mantel, this fall might be a good time to consider adding one. Mantels come in various widths and depths and can hold all sorts of unique and colorful items.

For the fall months, Halloween is always a popular theme. So are apple baskets, harvest vegetables and anything with earthy shades of orange and brown. You can fill your mantel with vases, candles, pumpkins, pre-bought seasonal decorations and more.

Beside the fireplace

The space around the fireplace is perfect for pumpkin and winter squash displays. Baskets with fall flowers make a lovely accent to your hearth area. Think about adding a fall-themed hearth rug, which will look great during the post-summer season and all year long.

If you have young children, enlist their help for Halloween decorating ideas. They may want to supply some spooky artwork that can flank the fireplace and add zest to the room.

Put the wall to good use

Whether the wall around your fireplace is small or large, you can make good use of it for a fall fireplace spruce-up. Posters, hanging tapestries, candle racks, leaf arrangements and the like will make the wall come alive.

For more allure, consider adding a gorgeous fireplace surround, which borders the firebox and stretches out as far as you’d like. Surrounds can be bought pre-built and ready to install with a wide range of materials, colors and features.

They key to a fabulous fall visual

These are just some ideas to get you started with your fall fireplace decorating. The best ideas are the ones that you come up with and that truly express what the fall season means to you. Be bold, be creative, be adventurous. You never know what you might end up with.

Schedule an inspection and cleaning before winter sets in

Another thing you’ll want to see to before winter arrives is a thorough inspection and cleaning of your chimney. An inspection will let you move into the holiday season with peace of mind, knowing your chimney is ready to warm and delight you during the cold weather.

Chimney cleaning involves removing flammable creosote buildups and any debris that might be narrowing your flue. Hire only experienced chimney sweeps for this task.

The post How to Spruce up Your Fireplace for Fall appeared first on Fluesbrothers Chimney Service.

Chimney efficiency, in Illinois, is critical to keeping the house warm…after the fire has gone away. Many have asked why the room gets so cold after a warm cozy fire. Sure, part may be that you enjoy sitting close to the fireplace and you have the warmth of the fire surrounding you, and when it’s done, brr. But that’s not the whole story. Cold air may be coming into your home for other reasons. We’re going to take a look what we can do as homeowners to practice better chimney efficiency. Not only will you be happier, but so will your energy bill.

What is Chimney Efficiency?

Chimney efficiency are ways to keep the warm air inside once the fire has completed the burning process. The purpose is to maximize the heat inside of the home without using the furnace in order to conserve on energy.

Efficiency Tip #1: Fireplace Damper

Once you are done with the fireplace, close the fireplace damper. Regardless if you are using a wood burning fireplace, or a gas fireplace, always keep the fireplace damper open when in use. However, to keep that nice warm air inside of the home, close the fireplace damper to avoid heat loss in the rest of the home. Be sure to make it a practice to open the fireplace damper before the fire begins, and close it when done.

Efficiency Tip #2: Chimney Liner

Chimney liners are especially needed for woodburning fireplaces. Creosote builds up during the burning process. This can decrease the chimney efficiency. Chimney lines are great as they provide maximum efficiency for your fireplace and chimney while protecting the masonry from the creosote, the byproduct of the burning process.

Efficiency Tip #3: Flue Damper Seals

Seals weaken over time and if the seals are not tight, you can easily be losing heat in your house through the chimney. Don’t want to check, or not sure if you’re checking it right? No problem…go on to Efficiency Tip #4.

Efficiency Tip #4: Certified Chimney Sweep or Cleaning

According to the Chimney Safety Institute of America, if you use your fireplace a little or not at all, if it’s woodburning or gas, the fireplace and chimney are to be cleaned and checked each year by a certified chimney technician… Especially, in areas like ours, where there are repeated freeze and thaw cycles through the winter months. This is the best and most efficient way to keep your fireplace and chimney working at peak performance while keeping everyone in the home safe.

Summary

These four tips will help keep your home cozy and warm this winter while saving on your energy bills and conserving on energy.

This post first appeared on https://www.superiorchimney.net

Fireplaces can generate plenty of heat while you are standing in front of it. Otherwise, these fireplaces suck all the heat from a room and you can send it up the chimney producing a lot of smoke. However, you do not have to suffer from that.

Aside from paying for a chimney sweep, you should do other things as well. The fireplace is seasonal, but you should still clean up to snuff despite not using it regularly. No matter what kind you have, you should use the best tips to make sure that your fireplace is always ready and efficient.

If you want to make your fireplace more efficient, you can read this article until the end to get tips.

Use the Right Wood

At the center of the fire is fuel. If you get this wrong and the fire will not be efficient, nor is it going to generate the heat you are capable of.

Therefore, before anything else, you will need a pile of suitable wood.

When it comes to ‘suitable wood’, it is something more than just dry and suitable wood.

If you burn wood green, wet, and moldy wood, or which has been treated or painted, you will either fail to light the fire or you will end up using a fire that burns poorly and give you a lot of smoke and particulates.

Keep the Dampers Closed

The damper is made of metal, and it keeps the moisture, air, and debris from your firebox when no one is using the fireplace. Forgetting to close the damper after turning off the fire is similar to keeping a window open.

All the heat generated will go out through the chimney. You need to keep the fireplace damper closed once the fire is totally extinguished, and it will retain the heat in the firebox and you should continue to warm the living space for many hours.

Install Fireplace Doors

This is going to retain more heat, especially if you are careful in keeping the closed when no one is using the fireplace. However, the majority of doors do not close tightly enough to prevent anything from leaking. In case you install them on the fireplace, make sure that they are sealed around it so no drafts will be able to go through. You should close the doors and damper. The fireplace requires a metal mesh screen that you can pull close while the fireplace is burning. The screen contains logs and any sparks or embers that shoot out from your fire, but it will still allow heat to get through.

Add a Gasket

In case you do not have a fireplace gasket, you should get one.

A fire gasket provides you with a way to build fire, and it will also hold everything in place, preventing logs from rolling out from the opening of the fireplace. The important thing is that a fire basket makes your fire burn efficiently even more.

Reverse Ceiling Fan Circulation

Some ceiling fans come with a switch that is going to reverse the operation in clockwise. Reversing the ceiling fan circulation creates an updraft and it spreads the heat more efficiently throughout the living space.  It will save you up to 15% when it comes to heating costs. However, operating ceiling fans in the standard clockwise direction is going to have the opposite effect and it cools down the living space. This way, you will also become more comfortable in your place.

The post How to Make Your Chimney More Efficient first appeared on First Class Chimney Services.

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

Another winter approaches, and many homeowners prepare to battle the cold weather by getting their preferred heating system ready, whether it’s a gas furnace or electric heater. However, you might consider adding a wood-burning fireplace to augment or replace your heating system, and here are a few reasons why.

Timeless Aesthetic

If fireplace owners are honest, they’d tell you that using a fireplace is more about the atmosphere and the feelings a roaring fire provides. Humans have spent hundreds of years gathered around crackling fires not only for warmth but for swapping stories and building bonds. Fireplaces and campfires are in our DNA. And although wood-burning fireplaces aren’t always the most efficient heat sources, nothing can beat their authentic old-world charm.

Inexpensive, Environmentally Friendly & Renewable Fuel Source

One of the main advantages of installing a wood-burning fireplace is that it uses a cheap, renewable fuel source that can significantly cut down your energy expenses if you’re relying on gas or electricity. Purchasing seasoned firewood is less expensive than paying for gas or electricity. If you’re not afraid of a little effort, you can save even more by cutting and seasoning the firewood yourself. Furthermore, wood-burning fireplaces are more environmentally friendly than using fossil fuels. Wood is renewable, sustainable, and more cost-effective than drilling for natural gas or burning coal for electricity. Finally, when wood burns, it doesn’t release nearly the amount of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere as gas or other fossil fuels. Another thing to consider is how renewable wood is as a fuel source. Companies that provide wood for sale are committed to planting new trees for each one they cut down, so there’s no worry of running out.

It Doesn’t Require Electricity

Losing heat during winter isn’t just uncomfortable; it can be dangerous if you have vulnerable family members living at home, like young children or older adults. Unfortunately, it’s common for winter storms to wreak havoc with power grids, causing downed lines and outages that can last for days. Living through a power outage can be a nightmare if you rely on an electric heating system. However, if you have a wood-burning fireplace, you never have to worry about being without heat. Even if the fireplace doesn’t heat the entire house, it’s better to cozy up in a warm living room or den and be comfortable than shivering and waiting for the electricity to come back on.

Lower Energy Bills

The price of everything is going up, and there’s no end in sight. So, it’s prudent to reduce expenses wherever you can to keep more money in your pocket. If you add a wood-burning fireplace to your home, you can reduce your reliance on your furnace or electric heater, reducing your energy bills.

Boost Home Value

Depending on the location and market, a fireplace can add value to your home if you decide to sell it down the road. For example, suppose your home is in a region that experiences long, harsh winters. In that case, a fireplace may be a must-have for a homebuyer; However, for a home on the Florida coast, not so much. However, remember that many people like fireplaces for the atmosphere more than the heat.

Strong Focal Point

Another advantage to having a fireplace in your home is that it provides a beautiful, natural focal point and can be the center of attention when you have guests over. Moreover, a fireplace with a mantle gives you countless opportunities for decorating, or you can even integrate a TV into the design to make it more eye-catching.

Cheaper Than Gas

People who use fireplaces fueled by natural gas would argue that gas fireplaces are easier to use, safer, and require less maintenance, which is mostly true. However, they fail to mention that gas is still more expensive than wood despite having dropped in price in recent years. If getting the most bang for your energy buck is essential,
you can’t beat a wood-burning fireplace.

The post Reasons to Consider A Wood-Burning Fireplace appeared first on Fluesbrothers Chimney Service.

As the weather gets colder, many homeowners begin to think about their to-do lists for the winter. One item that is often overlooked is masonry maintenance. However, putting off masonry projects can lead to bigger problems down the road. Here are some benefits of getting masonry projects done now:

1. Prevent further damage.

Small cracks in your chimney or walkway may not seem like a big deal, but they can quickly turn into larger problems. By getting these projects done now, you can prevent further damage.

2. Save money in the long run.

Masonry projects may seem like a costly investment upfront, but they will save you money in the long run. Ignoring small problems will only lead to bigger, more expensive problems down the road.

3. Improve your home’s curb appeal.

Whether you’re planning on selling your home or not, it’s always important to maintain its curb appeal. well-maintained masonry will make your home look its best and improve its value.

4. Increase your safety.

Chimneys and walkways that are in disrepair can be dangerous. By getting these projects done now, you can rest assured knowing that your family is safe from potential injury.

• Chimney Rebuild
• Chimney Pointing
• Brick Replacement
• Chimney Waterproofing
• Walkways

Conclusion:

Don’t wait until it’s too late to finish your masonry projects. By taking care of them now, you’ll be preventing further damage, saving money, improving your home’s curb appeal, and increasing your family’s safety—all reasons to consider getting masonry projects done now rather than later!

The post October News – Last Call for Masonry appeared first on Boston’s Best Chimney.