Santa's Friend Chimney Service Blog

Choosing the Right Firewood

Believe it or not, but the type of wood you use to build fires makes a big difference in the performance of your fireplace and chimney. Choosing the right firewood provides convenience, efficiency, and safety when the time comes to light a fire, but what exactly are the qualities of excellent firewood? Once you have found good wood, how do you properly store it to ensure it remains effective? How do you know if your wood truly is the right kind for a safe and beautiful fire? At Santa’s Friend Chimney Service, we are often asked these questions about selecting the most successful firewood. To help you purchase the best wood for your money, we would like to share some tips with you to ensure a great wood-burning season.

Seasoned or Unseasoned Wood?

While all firewood has a certain amount of moisture content, seasoned wood has been dried to contain less water than freshly-cut, unseasoned wood. Dried wood burns easier and cleaner, and it also provides more heat because the fire does not have to waste energy on burning up a large amount of water content. Unseasoned or “green” wood can be responsible for smoke and odor issues, and using this type of firewood poses a hazardous risk of causing a chimney fire due to rapid accumulations of creosote deposits. Even though some species of wood are recommended for burning fires because of their density, the seasoning aspect makes much more of a difference on the quality of the firewood, according to the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA).

Properly Storing Firewood

You could purchase a wood moisture meter to be sure your firewood is sufficiently dry; however, you do not have to use an expensive tool when you can follow these natural guidelines to test your wood:

• Seasoned wood is lighter in weight.
• Seasoned wood will have cracks in its end grain.
• Hit two pieces of firewood together, and if properly dried, you should hear a hollow sound. Wet wood will make a dull, thudding noise.
• Firewood darkens from white or cream to yellow or gray as it seasons.
• Unseasoned wood makes a sizzling sound when burned.
• Split a piece of your firewood, and if its exposed face feels warm and dry, it is well-seasoned. If it feels cool and damp, the wood is unseasoned.

For more advice on choosing the right firewood, contact us today. Our staff loves sharing knowledge on the secrets to building the best fires.

Getting Your Chimney Ready for the Fall Season

In order to prepare for the colder weather ahead, getting your chimney ready for fall and winter early allows you to relax during the busy holiday season safely in front of your fireplace. If you wait too long to do certain maintenance tasks, you will have to deal with scheduling a chimney inspection during the busiest part of the year. According to the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA) the greatest amount of chimney fires occur during the months of December, January, and February, and the main cause of these fires is creosote build-up in a chimney. A simple call to Santa’s Friend Chimney Service to schedule your annual chimney sweeping in late summer will rid your chimney of large creosote deposits. It will help to prevent a chimney fire from happening later in the winter. We at Santa’s Friend Chimney Service would like to give you a fall chimney checklist for both wood-burning and gas fireplaces.

Fall Checklist For a Wood-Burning Fireplace

• Schedule your annual chimney cleaning and inspection.  The NFPA, the Chimney Safety Institute of America, and other fire safety organizations recommend your chimney be swept and inspected at least once a year. Scheduling this essential maintenance task to be done before fall ensures you are safe to light your first fire in your fireplace. Our sweeps at Santa’s Friend Chimney Service will make certain your chimney is free from creosote deposits as well as check your chimney for any needed repairs.
• Arrange for essential repairs to be completed. If any damage to your bricks and mortar from water leaks is discovered during our chimney inspection, we can replace missing or damaged bricks and mortar to prevent structural damage. Your flue liner is also inspected, and if any cracks or holes are found in the liner, we can either repair or replace the liner to keep your family safe from carbon monoxide poisoning.
• Have your chimney cap replaced if it is missing or damaged. The best way for keeping birds and animals from nesting in your chimney over the winter, a chimney cap should be on top of every chimney. Our chimney sweeps will check your chimney cap to be sure it is undamaged and properly fitted atop your chimney.
• Replace batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. This step can save the lives of you and your family.

Fall Checklist For a Gas Fireplace

• Just as with a wood-burning fireplace, schedule your annual chimney cleaning and inspection. Like a wood-burning chimney sweeping, your cleaning and inspection will include looking for essential repairs to be performed. A gas fireplace chimney sweeping should involve cleaning the airways of the pilot and main burners as well as the blower.
• Replace batteries. Not only should you replace the batteries in the all-important smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, but you also need to change the batteries in the remote control and the receiver.

If you are ready to schedule your annual chimney sweeping and inspection before fall arrives, contact Santa’s Friend Chimney Service today to arrange an appointment. Our experienced and certified staff is ready to prepare your chimney for the cooler months.