When you think of summer, you think of hot and humid days and the last thing that you want to be doing is curling up in front of the fireplace. The reality of New England is quite different, however. Though there are plenty of hot, sunny days between May and September, there are also many cloudy and cool days and evenings to enjoy as well.

If you are a chimney owner in Boston, Massachusetts, or in the Greater Boston area, Boston’s Best Chimney is here to serve you. We offer chimney sweeps, chimney inspections and more. Let us use our more than thirty years of experience to take care of your residential or commercial chimney needs. Click here or call (781) 893-6611 to get in touch with us!

Now, we’ll fill you in on fireplace care during the summer.

Should I Be Using My Fireplace in the Summer?

The short answer is, yes! As we mentioned, weather greatly varies in New England, so if there’s a cool evening when you want to feel cozy, go ahead and light up your fireplace, however there are things to look out for.

Poor Draft

A fireplace updraft is created with a temperature differential – cooler outside temperature and warm internal flue temperatures.  If the outside air is too warm, the fireplace may not draft properly.  Test the flue first by lighting newspaper and holding it in the throat area to see if the smoke goes up or back into the living space. If your fireplace is smelling during the summer, this can be related to draft issues, or simply mean that you need a chimney sweep.

Campfire Smell

September is arguably the most beautiful weather month, but watch out for those cool nights and warm days.  Having a fire on the eve of a hot humid day is usually the perfect storm for campfire odor the next day.  Sometimes even closing the damper will not help if the humidity is really high.

Creosote Buildup

Creosote buildup is directly affected by time, temperature and turbulence.  The residence time of the smoke, at what temperature the fire is burning and the route in which it vents.  If you are not able to establish a strong draft, the tar fog can linger, creating excess creosote.

Whether you’re using your fireplace in the summer or not, your chimney should be inspected annually and swept as needed. It can be hard to find chimney companies with availability in the months leading up to winter. For that reason the summer is a perfect time to get your chimney maintenance needs taken care of.

Contact Boston’s Best Chimney for Your Chimney Needs

At Boston’s Best Chimney, we are a one-stop chimney service company. Our team is certified by the Chimney Safety Institute of America and ready to help you. Click here or call (781) 893-6611 to contact us with questions or to schedule an appointment today.

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Even though summer is not a time during which people use their fireplaces, there are still some summer chimney tips that homeowners should know. One important piece of knowledge to have is what to do about your chimney damper. Clients often ask us “Should I keep my chimney damper open or closed during the summer?” Today, we’ll dive into what you should do with your chimney damper during the summer and why.

At Boston’s Best Chimney, we are a one stop chimney service company specializing in every aspect of chimney maintenance and repair. Whether you are looking for a chimney inspection, a chimney sweep, chimney masonry work, or another service, we can help you. We serve Boston, Massachusetts and the Greater Boston area and are ready to assist you. Click here or call (781) 893-6611 to contact us.

Before we discuss what to do with your chimney damper during the summer, we’ll give you some background information on chimney dampers.

What is a Chimney Damper and How Does it Work?

The chimney damper is the mechanism that opens and closes to give you access to the flue (venting passageway).  Your chimney damper is an important chimney component that seals off the outside from the inside.   With the door shut, it discourages cold air from entering the home when the fireplace is not in use.  Similarly, it keeps conditioned air in the summer months from escaping from the chimney flue   Prior to starting a fire, the fireplace damper should be opened to allow smoke to escape.

Should I Keep My Chimney Damper Open or Closed During the Summer?

One of our off-season fireplace and chimney maintenance tips is to close your chimney damper when it is not in use. This can reduce your energy bills by preventing warm air from the outside from entering your home. If you have your damper open, it is like having a window open while your air conditioner is running.

Keeping your damper closed during the summer can also help keep critters out during a time of the year when wildlife is abundant.

Finally, any creosote that may be in your chimney may begin to smell if the damper is open and lets in hot air. This is one reason why people complain about their fireplace smelling during the summer. Regardless of whether or not creosote is causing your fireplace to smell, it is essential to have your chimney swept once a year to prevent creosote build up, which only becomes more difficult to remove over time.

When to Keep Your Damper Open

The exception to our recommendation to keep your damper closed in the summer is if you have a gas fireplace log set. The damper either needs to be permanently removed or fixed in the open position to prevent carbon monoxide leakage.

Call Boston’s Best Chimney for Your Boston, MA Area Chimney Needs

Summer is a great time to service your chimney. If your chimney needs to be swept or inspected, or if you have any other chimney needs or questions, do not hesitate to click here or call (781) 893-6611 to contact us.

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Chimney liners are units made from clay, metal or ceramic and are installed inside the chimney in order to contain the combustion products and direct them out of the chimney.

Functions of chimney liners

According to chimney relining professionals, the chimney liner has 3 main functions:

Heat transfer protection: When it’s too hot, heat can move through it and move to the adjoining woodwork thus putting your house at the risk of catching fire. The chimney liner obstructs the heat from getting transferred thus reducing the risk of your house catching fire.

Protection from corrosive products: Since the unit is designed to take the combustion products from the chimney to the environment, it takes harmful products such as carbon monoxide out of the house thus protecting you from intoxication.

Increase appliance efficiency: According to chimney repair professionals, the efficiency of your chimney greatly depends on the size of the flue. If the flue is too big, plenty of heat gets lost thus decreasing the unit’s efficiency. On the other hand if the flue is too small, the combustion products might not leave as they are supposed to. This might choke the fireplace thus lowering its efficiency.

Problems associated with chimney liners

Just like any other thing under the sun, chimney liners have their problems. One of the problems is formation of gaps between flue tiles. The gaps result from the combination of heat, moisture and corrosive chemicals that cause the mortar connecting the clay tiles to erode thus leaving voids and gaps. Gaps put your house at the risk of fire as combustible soot can build up in the cracks. When the buildup is too much it can easily catch fire.

Another common problem is spalling. This is the process where flakes of the chimney liner break off after they have been exposed to moisture and corrosive chemicals for a long time. When spalling takes place, tile pieces that break off from the liner can easily block air flow from moving up the liner. Due to the blockage the gases remain in the house thus putting you at the risk of inhaling the harmful gases.

In addition to the chimney having gaps between flue tiles, it’s also common to have cracked flue tiles. Tiles crack due to many reasons including: Lightning, poor workmanship, general wear and tear, chimney fire, and home settling,

Conclusion

This is what you need to know about chimney liners. A faulty chimney liner is a ticking time bomb; therefore, when you notice even a minor problem you should hire a chimney contractor to fix it as soon as possible.

The post Blog first appeared on First Class Chimney Services.

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

We receive many calls for chimney sweeps during the summer. Though it makes sense to have your chimney swept directly after the heating/burning season, many people get busy and find themselves in the summer before remembering to have their chimneys swept. Luckily, the summer is an excellent time to have this service performed.

Boston’s Best Chimney is a one stop chimney company specializing in every aspect of chimney maintenance and repair. We have been proudly serving Boston, MA and the Greater Boston area since 1989. From chimney sweeps to inspections and more, we have you covered. Click here or call (781) 893-6611 to contact us.

Now we’ll explain why having your chimney swept in the summer is a great idea.

Reasons Why You Should Have Your Chimney Swept During the Summer

There is no wrong time to have your chimney swept. Along with chimney inspections, chimney sweeping is an important service to have performed to keep your chimney free and clear of creosote. There are various reasons why summer is a great time for a chimney sweep.

1. Availability of Chimney Companies

Chimney companies become very busy directly before and during the heating season. Having your chimney swept before the busy autumn and winter months will ensure that you can find a company with availability in time for the cooler weather.

2. Avoid the Holiday Season

The holidays are an expensive and busy time of year. Avoid an extra expense during a time of year when you’ll want to focus on giving to those around you by getting your chimney sweep taken care of during the summer. Besides, the last thing that you want to do between Thanksgiving and the December holidays is coordinate a chimney sweep into your busy schedule.

3. Fireplaces Can Smell During the Summer

One of the most common complaints that we hear from customers during the summer is that their chimneys smell bad. Trapped, stagnant air combined with the summer heat causes this. A chimney sweep will allow for creosote and debris to be removed, giving more draft space for smells to escape. Read more about why your fireplace may smell during the summer.

4. Prevent or Conquer Pest Issues

An off season inspection and sweeping will ensure that squirrels or birds haven’t made your chimney their home. Pests will not only make your chimney loud and annoying, but their nests can also obstruct your chimney, which can quickly turn into a potentially dangerous obstruction.

5. Chimney Sweeps Are Always a Good Idea

Regular maintenance on your chimney system can prevent chimney fires caused by creosote buildup, obstructions from forming and potential carbon monoxide leaks. No matter the time of year, they are a helpful and necessary precaution. Click here for more details on what happens during a chimney sweep.

Call Us for Your Boston, MA Area Chimney Sweep

Chimney sweeps are an essential part of keeping your chimney safe! If you’re interested in having your chimney swept, give us a call at (781) 893-6611 or click here to get in touch with our team.

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As anybody who’s lived for very long in the Kansas City, KS/Kansas City, MO region knows, we get our share of extreme weather. We learn to adapt and get used to it, but your chimney isn’t quite as adaptable. Severe weather events can cause significant damage to chimneys, leaving them open to even more damage and causing them to operate in a way that’s unsafe.

Here are some ways the weather can harm your chimney.

Common weather events that can damage a chimney

Old age is a prime factor in many types of chimney damage. But serious weather situation can quickly take their toll long before the chimney has reached old age. Damaging weather events causing damage include:

• Tornadoes and high winds
• Pounding hail storms
• More-than-usual amounts of rain and snow
• Frigid air temperatures
• Excessively hot air temperatures
• Lightning strikes

Resulting chimney damage from intense weather

The above-listed and other weather events can damage different parts of your chimney system to varying degrees. Weather damage that licensed chimney inspectors regularly encounter includes:

• Cracks in the chimney’s bricks
• Crumbling and decayed mortar that holds the bricks together
• Chimney cap damage that allows water to move into the system
• Cracks in the concrete chimney crown that will worsen over time
• Chimney leaks of all types and volumes
• Warped or missing chimney flashing that protects the gap between the chimney and the roof
• A chimney that leans to one side
• Extensive structural damage
• Rusted or inoperable fireplace dampers due to a chimney leak
• Rotting and mold growth in home building materials adjacent to the chimney – also caused by a leak

What to Do after the Storm

When the crazy weather is behind you, it’s time for you to look over your chimney and fireplace system. You want to identify anything that looks unusual such as cracks in the bricks, missing sections of mortar, odd smells coming from your fireplace, dislodged flashing and other signs that need to be followed up on.

Chimney service companies recommend that homeowners have their chimneys inspected once a year for improved safety and performance. If a bad storm comes in between visits from your inspector, it’s a smart idea to schedule a special inspection.

Professional chimney inspectors have the training and experience to spot indicators of damage that the average homeowner will miss. The inspector will evaluate all the visible areas of your chimney system and let you know if any issues were found that need attention.

In cases where it’s obvious that significant damage from a storm (or any other type of event) has affected hidden areas within the chimney structure, your inspector will perform a much more invasive inspection to determine what is needed to resolve the problem.

If it’s Time for a Chimney Inspection

Chimney inspections should never be put off. If you believe your chimney is suffering from damage, or if it is operating “oddly,” then it’s time to let a professional take a look.

Neglecting basic inspections and maintenance will almost always lead to extensive problems in chimneys and fireplaces – problems that can require a lot of time and money to fix.

Fluesbrothers Chimney & Fireplace of Kansas City, KS, helps our customers get their chimneys back into shape after damaging storms. We also provide licensed chimney inspections, certified chimney cleaning and all types of repair and rebuilding work.

We’re here when you need us. Speak with a chimney expert today at (913) 236-7141.

The post How Extreme Weather Can Harm Your Chimney appeared first on Fluesbrothers Chimney Service.

If you have a chimney you use it to warm your house, but did you know that there are a number of mistakes that you can do and get burned? To shed some light here are the mistakes that you should avoid making:

Hiring any chimney contractor

For your chimney to be safe and function efficiently you have to clean it regularly. You also need to undertake regular chimney inspection. While you can do the work by yourself if you have the skills, it’s always recommended that you hire a chimney contractor to do it. In addition to the professional offering quality services, he/she will also identify problems and fix them before they get worse.

Most homeowners don’t take their chimneys seriously; therefore, they hire any contractor that comes their way. While some of the contractors offer ideal services, most don’t. For you to hire the right contractor you need to take your time and do your research. When hiring, take a look at the portfolio of the contractor. He/she should be experienced. He/she should also be certified by the necessary regulatory bodies.

Allowing birds and animals to live in your chimney

While birds might look beautiful when they are flying out of your chimney, they pose a great danger to your chimney and you property at large. The safety and warmth provided by the chimney attracts birds and animals that build nests up there. These nests tend to prevent smoke from escaping from the house. There are also some birds and animals that die in the chimney causing further chimney blockage.

When your chimney is blocked, it means that plenty of creosote is deposited on the chimney walls. This puts your chimney at the risk of catching fire. Also due to blockage, carbon monoxide isn’t properly expelled from the house. As you know, high levels of the gas are poisonous thus you risk dying in your sleep when you allow birds and animals in your chimney.

To avoid this you should contact the animal control department and ask them to remove the birds and animals from your chimney.

Cleaning the chimney by yourself

You need to undertake chimney cleaning to maintain your chimney in good working condition and keep it safe. In the bid of saving money, some homeowners opt to clean the fireplaces by themselves. While you can clean the fireplace by yourself, you won’t give the best results as you won’t have the necessary cleaning tools. To be on the safe side hire a chimney sweeping professional to help you out.

The post Blog first appeared on First Class Chimney Services.

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

Drone Inspections Tell Us

Your chimney is put through its paces, and the top is exposed to all the elements all the time; think about the extreme sun, heat, and rain we have been experiencing. The chimney peak is one of the most ignored areas of the home, because it’s usually out of sight, out of mind, and normally not addressed until there’s something visibly wrong – which typically translates to more serious issues. But what do you do when access is not easily achievable? A drone inspection may be your answer.

These days we run into a variety of obstacles that affect our ability to safely gain access to the chimney stack; these include slate or Spanish tile roofs, solar panels, pitch and height hurdles, metal roofing materials (gaining popularity in this area), and weather elements all are considerations when planning roof access.

Manual inspection of residential structures, commercial buildings, and other property can be costly and high risk. Inspections can be especially risky when roofs are wet or when the weather is extremely cold or windy. The safety and agility of drones for inspection work increases both safety and efficiency and reduces cost.

Drone inspections can be quicker and less expensive than manual roof or building inspection and can often eliminate the need for a manual inspection altogether. Drone roof inspections offer accuracy, safety, and speed.

Regular exterior inspections of commercial buildings are recommended to discover hazards, determine any type of damages, and mitigate risk.

Placing and climbing a ladder on the exterior of any building over three stories can be difficult and is dangerous. Drone inspection is a good candidate in these situations. Rather than relying on binoculars and ladders, often, we can use a drone to check roofs and hard-to-reach exteriors for signs of damage or deterioration. Often, we are able to inspect areas of a building that would previously be very expensive to reach.

By using a drone, we can also provide photographs of building sections that are not easily accessible. A drone’s ability to provide images and video that would otherwise be difficult to capture is a great reason to employ a drone property inspection.

During a property sale, drone inspections are often very cost-effective for both property buyers and property sellers to mitigate risk and avoid delaying a transaction.

When safely gaining access to the roof poses an issue, we would typically rent an aerial lift. Still, these can be intrusive to landscape and very expensive – especially when it’s just for inspectional purposes. Drone inspections offer us a cost-effective, safe alternative to allow us to gain “access” to an area that is usually off-limits.

Call Boston’s Best Chimney for a Drone Inspection

It is best to have your chimney inspected annually and swept annually or as needed. If we find that your chimney has a masonry issue, we can then help to see whether you need your chimney rebuilt or repointed. If you would like to schedule a chimney inspection, click here or call (781) 893-6611 to contact us.

The post Introducing Drone Inspections! What Drone Inspections Tell Us appeared first on Boston's Best Chimney.

Some homeowners might shrug-off the fireplace smell as most households have air conditioning. If you have the air conditioning on, then the fireplace won’t smell…right?

Not so fast.

First, glass doors are frequently found in front of the fireplace. How does the fresh air get in there? It doesn’t. Also, let’s say you have a screen in front of the fireplace, the cool air might linger in the fireplace itself, but it doesn’t go up the chimney. That’s where the smells build and linger.

5 Causes of Moisture Build-Up Inside of the Chimney

1. Poor Ventilation: Air flow in the chimney is important to keep the moisture level down. When moisture builds, the musty smell occurs. But remember, the musty smell can be the start of something more like mold and mildew.
2. Humidity: Chicago certainly has plenty of humid days. As the cool air stays in the fireplace, you can be sure the warm moist air is slowly moving through your chimney, sometimes just sitting there for longer periods of time.
3. Chimney Cap: An old, broken or non-existent chimney cap causes the rain and snow to make its way inside of the chimney. With the rain coming at us horizontally lately, there’s certainly cause for concern with the rain making its way down the chimney.
4. Rain and Snow: Speaking of weather elements, we want to try to keep rain and snow down to minimum in the chimney as it’s quite easy for the moisture to accumulate.
5. Cracks in the Chimney: As we all know, as soon as there is a crack in the bricks and/or mortar, moisture just found a new entry point. Over time, it will continue to deteriorate and more moisture will build up and continue to open it up more.

The Smell of Moisture

So now that we know how moisture builds up and gets into our home, let’s talk about the musty smell.

1. Creosote: If you have a wood burning fireplace, use it or not, there may be creosote deposits on the side of the walls or chimney liner of the chimney. Add moisture to the creosote and you get a musty, smoky smell that is quite unpleasant if left untreated.
2. Mold & Mildew: Mold and mildew does have a musty like smell. This gets formed from a buildup of moisture that gets trapped.
3. BBQ or Smoky Smell: This is not a fresh smell of a steak cooking on the BBQ, it’s more of the unpleasant stale burnt smell. This is often caused by soot or creosote sitting in the chimney. Mix it with moisture and it develops this not-so friendly smell.

So now that you know this is a bigger problem than you thought and the lovely smell won’t go away by itself, let’s discuss what a Superior Chimney inspection can offer to get rid of the musty, smoky, BBQ smell.

• Inspect the Chimney Flue: The chimney flue is the vent for the flow of air & exhaust from your firebox to the chimney top. If there is an obstruction, the certified technician will find and clear the path. At the same time, they’ll inspect the chimney flue to ensure it is in good working order.
• Chimney Sweep: With regular sweeping of the chimney and fireplace, the musty order may be controlled. This may also prevent any mold or mildew build up, along with creosote or debris that easily form over time. Remember, the smell can come from wood burning and gas fireplaces. It’s just not one or the other, it is both.
• Chimney cap: The chimney cap plays a vital role in the health of your chimney – Every chimney needs a chimney cap for the same reasons every home needs a roof!  It works to keep the weather elements out of your home along with your neighborhood squirrels, raccoons, birds, bats and much, much more. If the chimney cap is missing, rusted, or broken it can play a part of developing the musty smell. The chimney inspection will uncover if there is a problem with the chimney cap and if one needs to be added or replaced.
• Waterproof the Chimney: We recently posted an article on Chimney Saver. If you want to keep moisture out of the porous bricks and mortar, then waterproofing the chimney will certainly do the trick. It isn’t a solution you do every year; Chimney Saver usually lasts about 10 years. Ask your certified chimney technicians if its right for you.

Last Words…

Yes, it is a challenge living in Chicago where we have extreme temperatures, high and low humidity, each and every year. Can you imagine what your poor chimney goes through every day? It’s the highest point of the home and it takes a beating. So be nice to your chimney and, in return, it won’t stink. Schedule an inspection today. Call us at 877-CHIM-FIX  (877-244-6349)

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

Wood stoves have been around for a long time. While their designs have changed over the years, their working principle still remains the same. The units come with many benefits that include:

Wood stoves save you money

Compared to gas and electricity, wood stove heating is cheap as wood is affordable in almost all parts of the world. If you have trees in your home, you get to get the wood for free. Most of the modern wood stoves are highly efficient as they come with a wood stove insert. Due to the insert they require just a few pieces of wood to give you the heat that you need.

Wood stoves are easy to maintain

Since they are small in size you are able to easily take care of them. One of the things that you have to do is clean them in order to get rid of the ash. It’s recommended that you remove the ash before you start fire. In addition to regular cleaning it’s also wise that you hire a professional to inspect the wood stove and fix any problems that it might be having.

The fireplace is environmentally friendly

While it gives off smoke, it is environmentally friendly. Wood is a renewable resource and you can easily obtain it. It’s also “carbon-neutral” since when it burns it doesn’t add additional carbon dioxide to the environment.

You can place the wood stove in any place of the house

Wood stoves are easy to carry around; therefore, you can place them in any part of the house. This is not only convenient as you can move with your heat source to any part of the house, it is also energy saving as you only heat the part of the house that you want to warm.

When placing the wood stove be keen and only place it on a solid, flat surface. This is to prevent it from tipping over.

The wood stove improves your home decor

Wood stoves come in different sizes and designs thus you have many options to choose from. When making the purchase, you shouldn’t simply go for a unit that heats your house. Consider going for a unit that also improves your home decor.

Conclusion

These are a few benefits of having a wood burning stove. Just like with other wood burning fireplaces, always burn seasoned wood. Also ensure that you hire a chimney company to inspect the unit at least once a year.

The post Blog first appeared on First Class Chimney Services.

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

A wood stove insert is a unit that you place inside your old wood burning fireplace. If you are yet to install it in your fireplace you are doing yourself a disservice as there are many benefits that come with it. Here are a few of the top reasons why you should install it your fireplace:

Increase the efficiency of your fireplace

Chimney professionals estimate that the average efficiency of most wood burning fireplaces is 5-10%. This is because plenty of the heat is lost up the chimney. Open hearth chimneys have a large firebox that allows plenty of oxygen to interact with the wood. This results to the wood burning fast thus not reaching high temperatures to heat the house adequately. Wood also burns fast than it should.

A fireplace insert reduces the size of the firebox thus slowing down the rate at which the firewood burns. This results to the wood burning at high temperatures thus heating your house adequately. The insert also prevents heat loss by insulating the fireplace. This increases the efficiency of your fireplace.

You save money that you would have spent on fireplace remodeling

Fireplace remodeling requires plenty of work and money. If you are looking to improve the look of your fireplace you don’t have to go through the trouble of hiring an expensive chimney masonry repair professional. The easiest way of going about it is installing a fireplace insert. Fireplace inserts come in different sizes and designs. There are those that  flush with the face of the fireplace, others that fit totally inside the current firebox and others that project out of the firebox.  All you need to do is find the one that looks good on your fireplace.

You reduce wood-burning emissions

If you have a wood burning fireplace you know that there are plenty of emissions that come with it. According to fireplace insert manufacturers, when you install the insert you have zero wood-burning emissions. This helps you conserve the environment.

Conclusion

These are a few of the top reasons why you should install a fireplace insert in your home. When making the purchase, ensure that the insert is EPA certified. This calls for you to buy from a reputable store. To reap the full benefits of the inserts, ensure that they are installed by an experienced chimney company.  After installation, regularly inspect them to ensure that they are in perfect working condition.

The post Blog first appeared on First Class Chimney Services.

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