Santa's Friend Chimney Service Blog

Don’t Forget the Vents!

With things like carpools, soccer practices, and other family-related activities with which to contend, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that some things, often through no fault of our own, take a back seat to everything else that’s going on.  One thing that is commonly overlooked by homeowners is the proper maintenance and cleaning of dryer vents.  People may think that cleaning these vents isn’t all that important.  This couldn’t be further from the truth!

Dryer Lint Buildup is Dangerous!

If your dryer seems to not be working at its peak efficiency, you likely need your vents cleaned. Don’t wait, as this can impact both performance and safety.

There are thousands of fires caused by dryer lint buildup that happen every year.  One of the ways to decrease the chances of fire is to clean your dryer vent after every laundry load you use it for.  In fact, studies prove that effective cleaning maintenance of dryer vents can reduce the chances of fire by 90%.  Not only does vent cleaning help prevent house fires, it also will make sure our clothes are dry and smelling nice after each use.

Dryer Lint Buildup Causes Increased Energy Consumption

Aside from the dangers of fire, buildup of dirt and lint in the dryer vent can also significantly increase your energy consumption.  This is due in large part to the fact that a clogged vent makes your dryer take more time to dry your clothes.  There are numerous warning signs that you can watch for that will indicate that you have a dirty dryer vent.  Possible signs that the vent may be clogged is if the dryer no longer dries the clothes in one cycle, the clothes carry a musty smell after a drying cycle, the dryer seems to run hotter than normal, a visible amount of lint is noticed around the lint filter, and debris is noticed within the outside dryer vent opening.

Dryer Lint Buildup Must be Removed Regularly

To avoid this potentially dangerous buildup in your vents, you need to follow a predetermined maintenance schedule.  As a general rule of thumb, the majority of dryer vents need to be cleaned at least once a year; some dryer ducts need more frequent attention.  Some determining factors include:

• The number of people who are using the same dryer
• The age and condition of the dryer
• The length of your dryer vent

The best way to ensure dryer safety is to clean the lint screen after every use and to have your vent and duct cleaned regularly.

Each time you use your dryer, lint builds up in the vent.  Cleaning the lint screen will help you keep the dryer running and working well, but a little lint will remain within the vent.  It’s very important to keep up with dryer vent cleaning, as the built up lint poses a very serious hazard to your house and everyone in it.   If you’re ready to see exactly what’s lurking in your dryer vent, call Santa’s Friend today, and we’ll schedule a convenient time to come out and take care of it for you!

Types of Masonry Restoration

Notice problems in your chimney masonry? Call us and we’ll do the necessary repairs so your chimney will look and function as good as new.

If you have a masonry chimney, you should know that the Chimney Safety Institute of America claims water is your chimney’s greatest enemy because if it penetrates into your masonry joints, it can cause all sorts of expensive repair work, such as structural damage. Another victim of water damage is your chimney crown. To repair this water damage as well as to prevent water damage from even happening, you will need some sort of type of masonry restoration work from a professional chimney company like Santa’s Friend Chimney Service. We have experienced masons on hand that can perform several types of masonry restoration work, and we would like to tell you more about the types of masonry restoration work we provide.

Repointing/Tuckpointing

To provide a better understanding of repointing, the Masonry Magazine, the official publication of the Mason Contractors Association of America, states that looking at the differences between the 100-year old definitions of the masonry terms “pointing,” “jointing,” “repointing,” and “tuckpointing” will give you a better idea of what repointing means today.

• Pointing – The definition of pointing is the placement and careful tooling of a mortar joint between bricks and stones, and contrary to jointing, this process scrapes back the mortar joint several days after the completion of the brickwork.
• Jointing – Jointing is what bricklayers do today, the process of finishing the joint along with the brickwork being completed.
• Repointing – Typically the type of restoration work done on older mortar, 100 years ago, repointing meant replacing a failed mortar joint, which happened about once a century.
• Tuckpointing – The word “tuckpointing” referred to a specialized application of pointing where the bricks were first sanded to a smooth surface and the original mortar joint is masked with a thin strip that matched the brick in color. Then, the joint was meticulously shaved down to match exactly the other joints in the chimney, and a fine, usually white mortar was tucked over the lines and finely manicured to look like no repairs had ever been done.

Today, “repointing” refers to repairing damaged mortar joints by filling in the gaps and holes created by water penetration, and “tuckpointing” refers to replacing deteriorated mortar with new mortar. The experienced and trained masons at Santa’s Friend Chimney Service are able to provide both types of masonry restoration to repair spalling and other damage due to water penetration of your masonry joints.

After explaining the different types of masonry restoration we provide, Santa’s Friend Chimney Service would like to tell you about a water penetration prevention service we offer:

• Waterproofing – Using specially formulated materials that prevent water from penetrating into your bricks and masonry joints but allow vapors to pass through your chimney, our technicians have been applying the Chimney Saver Water Repellent for the past 20 years successfully to chimneys all over the Central Mississippi area. Your chimney will be protected from water penetration that causes the damage that needs masonry repair work.

If you have loose bricks and chips in the mortar of your chimney, contact Santa’s Friend Chimney Service today to schedule an appointment with one of our experienced chimney masons. We would be happy to provide our masonry restoration services to you.