Santa's Friend Chimney Service Blog

Remember to Season Your Firewood

For successful, safe, convenient, and efficient wood burning, a plentiful supply of good quality firewood is the key. Even though warm weather is upon us, now is the best time to start preparing your wood fuel supply by storing and seasoning it properly. Our staff at Santa’s Friend Chimney Service enjoys educating our customers on the best wood-burning procedures and practices, and we have gathered a few tips from the non-profit Wood Heat Organization about storing and seasoning firewood that we would like to share with you to help you get your supply ready for the next fireplace season.

Some species of wood are better than others when it comes to quality firewood.

Although all species of trees are made of the same chemicals, denser wood species make the best firewood. Oak, ash, maple, and hickory will burn longer as well as produce hotter coals. However, many hardwoods are rare, protected as endangered species, or hard to find, depending on where you live. The Wood Heat Organization lists wood species from hardest to softest, and besides those already mentioned, ironwood, elm, beech, and birch are also good types of dense wood. For the coldest months of the year, you should definitely have firewood from these species in your supply. Conversely, you can use softer species of wood like poplar, pine, and spruce in the fall and spring because they burn quicker, make heat control easier, and do not overheat your home.

No matter the species, the most crucial characteristic of quality firewood is that it is dried and seasoned.

All wood contains moisture, and wet wood can be both difficult and hazardous to burn. Properly drying and seasoning wood lowers the moisture content to 15 to 20%, which makes it easier to burn. You will also be able to burn your wood fuel more efficiently when it is correctly seasoned. Burning wet, green wood also leads to overly smoky fires and an excessive amount of creosote accumulated on your chimney walls. Creosote is highly hazardous as it is extremely flammable. Large buildups of creosote in your chimney can ignite dangerous chimney fires.

Stack and store your firewood in a way that will help it to season quickly and thoroughly.

Many reliable chimney industry sources like the Chimney Institute of America (CSIA) recommend you allow your wood to season and dry for at least six months to be sure it has a low enough moisture content to make sure it burns efficiently. Storing your firewood over the summer allows nature to help the drying process.. The most important thing to remember when storing firewood is to keep it off the ground to keep ground moisture from seeping back into your wood. Stack the wood in a criss-cross manner, and alternate patterns per level as you stack the logs. This creates more stable wood piles and free movement of air to aid in seasoning.

Want to know more about seasoning and storing firewood? Contact Santa’s Friend Chimney Service to learn a few more helpful tips.

Did the Winter Weather Damage Your Chimney?

Despite being in the South, our area has experienced some harsh winter weather this year, and we at Santa’s Friend Chimney Service have been very busy repairing a lot of damage caused by the past couple of very cold months. From water leaks to damaged dampers, liners, and chimney caps to masonry problems, the extreme temperatures of winter can be very destructive to a chimney. You may have even noticed some damage done to your chimney. The spring season is a great time to take care of these repairs, and you do not want to delay fixing winter-related chimney damage. We would like to tell you about some common post-winter chimney repairs and how our certified and experienced chimney technicians can fix these problems.

Leaky Chimneys

Causing possibly hundreds to thousands of dollars in chimney damage repair, water leaks are a chimney’s worst enemy. After a cold winter with below-freezing temperatures, we often see leaks caused by spalling. Water leaks from a chimney can be hard to locate, so call Santa’s Friend Chimney Service to schedule a professional chimney inspection to determine exactly what is causing them. You can see signs of a leaky chimney, which include:

• loose or missing bricks and/or mortar
• cracking and crumbling in the bricks and/or mortar
• rusty stains
• brick discoloration
• water in the fireplace
• damp odors

Damper and Chimney Cap Damage

According to the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA), the efficiency of these two parts of your chimney is crucial to saving energy and money. Additionally, these two components serve to keep water from penetrating into your chimney. If your damper is stuck open, it is the same thing as leaving a window in your house open. Cold air escapes, bugs get in, the rain pours into your house, etc. If the damper is stuck closed, you cannot start a fire because your flue is closed-off and unable to filter smoke and gases. Similarly, an undamaged chimney cap fitting correctly on the top of your chimney is essential because not only does it also keep rain out of your chimney, but it prevents stray animals from setting up home there.

Masonry Fireplace Damage

These classic chimneys are a bit more elaborate and require different types of maintenance, but Santa’s Friend Chimney Service specializes in repairing masonry chimneys and is glad to check these jobs off your repair list:

• crown repair – Your crown is the chimney cap of your masonry chimney and can become cracked during the winter during extremely cold spells.
• repointing/tuckpointing – When the bricks and mortar of your chimney are crumbling and falling apart due to deteriorating joints from spalling and water damage, we can repair (or rebuild, if necessary) your chimney using these techniques.

If you have noticed any of these or other chimney problems from the past winter, contact Santa’s Friend Chimney Service as soon as possible. We are ready to repair any damage as well as prevent further damage from occurring.