Chimney Swifts come to Central Mississippi this time of year after spending the colder months in South America. These birds come back to North America to nest and lay eggs. Chimneys are one of their favorite places (hence the name Chimney Swift), and you cannot move them once they have nested. They are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. To keep them out of your chimney, you need to have a chimney cap installed. Contact Santa’s Friend Chimney Service for information about chimney caps at 601-854-7563.
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.
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.
If you have a masonry fireplace, the anatomy of its chimney consists of many important parts. Many homeowners are unfamiliar with these parts and their functions, and knowing these parts’ names and functions can help homeowners identify exactly what is wrong with their chimneys. As part of our duties as Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA)-certified chimney sweeps, we at Santa’s Friend Chimney Service enjoy teaching our customers about their fireplace and chimney systems. We would like to tell you the parts of a masonry chimney and explain what exactly they do to keep your fireplace working safely.
As identified by the CSIA, the anatomy of a masonry fireplace and chimney system include the following parts:
Mortar Crown – Also known as a chimney crown, this part sits on top of the chimney to prevent water penetration of the bricks and mortar as well as water leaks down the flue and into your home.
Flue – Available in different shapes and sizes, the flue is a chamber that vents out the corrosive byproducts of combustion from the fireplace. A single chimney can have multiple flues if several fireplaces or stoves are connected to the same chimney.
Smoke Chamber – The area above the firebox and below the flue, the smoke chamber allows smoke to mix and rise up the flue. Most smoke chambers are made from terracotta tiles. This part is also known as the chimney throat.
Smoke Shelf – The smoke shelf functions with the smoke chamber to push smoke out the flue. This area is behind the damper and is the bottom of the chimney.
Damper – Usually located in the same area as the smoke chamber and smoke shelf, the damper seals your chimney shut when the fireplace is not in use. A very important part of your chimney, the damper needs to function properly to keep heated air from escaping out the chimney when there is no fire.
Lintel – A heavy piece of angle iron that holds up the bricks over the center of the fireplace, the lintel is embedded into the brick.
Firebox – A critical component of your fireplace and chimney system, the firebox is a two- or three-walled structure that contains the direct heat of the fire and guides the smoke into the smoke chamber. Since the firebox is exposed to such high temperatures, this part tends to deteriorate more quickly than other parts of the anatomy of your chimney. It is crucial that the firebox is constructed with the right materials and kept in good repair.
Ash Dump – Equipped with a door, the ash dump is located directly below the center of the firebox. When the ash dump door is open, ashes from the fire fall into the ash dump. The ash dump makes it simple to remove ashes from the firebox.
Clean Out Door – Most often located in the basement of your home, the clean out door allows you to clean out the ash dump more easily.
Have questions about your chimney’s anatomy? Contact Santa’s Friend Chimney Service or click here to ask our staff whatever you need to know about the parts of your chimney.
If your home has a masonry fireplace, you may know that the Chimney Institute of America (CSIA) has named water as the biggest enemy of your chimney. For good reason as water penetration of your chimney is the biggest cause of expensive and extensive damage to the interior and the exterior of your home. Keeping water out of your chimney is key to prevent the deterioration of the entire structure. At Santa’s Friend Chimney Service, our CSIA-certified technicians are well aware of the damage water can do to a masonry chimney, and we can find the leak, repair the damage, and then prevent further water penetration of your chimney. Often asked by our customers how water can be such a big problem, we would like to share three ways water penetration can do lots of damage to a masonry chimney.
1. Water leaks can cause brick and mortar spalling, which can lead to structural damage.
If the bricks and mortar of your chimney suffer a great deal of water exposure, the water will penetrate into the materials and begin eroding the masonry materials. When this trapped water freezes inside your bricks and mortar, the breaking apart, peeling, and flaking of masonry materials, known as spalling, occurs when the temperatures rise and the water thaws. The expansion of the thawed water can be too much for bricks to endure, which is why they become loose and/or break off of your chimney. Unrepaired spalling can lead to possible severe structural damage of your chimney. Water will also continue to invade your chimney through the holes provided by the spalled bricks and mortar, which will lead to even more damage. If you ever notice loose bricks or mortar on the exterior of your chimney, contact Santa’s Friend Chimney Service for a chimney inspection. We will repair the damage and waterproof your chimney to prevent spalling from occurring again.
2. Water leaks can cause cracks and other deteriorations to your chimney flue liner, which can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning.
Water penetration not only affects the bricks and mortar of your chimney, but it causes damage to your interior flue liner as well. If you have a clay chimney liner, cracks will form due to water leaks, and if you have a metal chimney liner, rusting will occur from water exposure. Both of these problems can cause your liner to break apart and crack. A cracked liner can be a health hazard since your chimney liner serves to protect you and your family from the by-products of combustion, like toxic smoke and carbon monoxide, from entering your home. At Santa’s Friend Chimney Service, we can repair and restore clay chimney liners with HeatShield, and we can replace damaged liners with a durable stainless steel.
3. Water leaks can cause interior damage to your home, including stained walls and ceilings and mold growth.
Not only does water penetration of a masonry chimney cause many issues to the chimney itself, but a leaky chimney can also stain the ceilings and walls of the room where your fireplace is located. If you find water leak stains in your fireplace room, you should also consider the possibility of mold growth in the ceilings, walls, fireplace, and chimney. Contact Santa’s Friend Chimney Service as soon as possible if you ever see this sort of water penetration damage.
If you have more questions on what types of damage water penetration can do to a masonry chimney, contact Santa’s Friend Chimney Service today. We are happy to help you repair and prevent this kind of damage to your fireplace and chimney.
So many of our customers are surprised to learn that their clothes dryer venting system should be professionally cleaned once a year. Although it can be easy to neglect and ignore this maintenance task, neglecting to thoroughly clean your dryer vent annually can lead to a dangerous house fire. According to the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA), 15,000 residential fires, 15 deaths, and 400 injuries caused by dirty clothes dryer vents were reported to the US Fire Administration each year between 2002 and 2004. To keep your dryer from becoming a fire hazard, an annual professional cleaning of the venting system is crucial for the safety of your house and family. The dryer vent technicians at Santa’s Friend Chimney Service are experienced in performing this task and can guarantee that you will receive the best possible service. To help you understand why your dryer vents should be professionally cleaned every year, we would like to share with you some of the reasons behind the importance of this annual maintenance task.
A Dirty Clothes Dryer Vent Decreases the Efficiency of Your Dryer.
If your dryer vent is clogged with lint and debris, your clothes dryer will not work as efficiently as it should. Have you ever noticed clothes still being wet or damp after going through a full drying cycle? When this occurs, it is one of the main signs of a dirty vent and should be a clear signal that your venting system needs professional cleaning. If you have to use your dryer at its highest temperature to dry a load of clothes, it decreases the life of the appliance and can also lead to your heating element burning out or even a fire igniting.
Dirty Dryer Vents May Also Lead to the Possibility of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning.
When your clothes dryer is powered by gas, safety reasons make it necessary to ensure that it is properly vented and that its exhaust vent has no blockages from lint and debris. This is crucial because if there are problems with the ventilation of your dryer’s exhaust, poisonous gases like carbon monoxide may be forced back into the home. If you do not have a carbon monoxide detector installed in your home, you may never realize you are breathing in carbon monoxide until it is too late because this toxic gas is odorless and tasteless. Even if you have an electric dryer, you still have the possibility of carbon monoxide leaks due to a dirty vent.
Just Because You Clean Your Dryer Vent Filter from Lint After Each Load Does Not Mean You Do Not Need an Annual Professional Vent Cleaning.
Yes, the routine removal of lint from the lint filter does reduce the risk of fire by 90%, but you still need to schedule a professional cleaning of the dryer vent every year. Large clogs of lint can be found in the venting ducts as well as in the inner side of the wall. To guarantee proper cleaning of your dryer’s venting system, you need to call an experienced dryer exhaust technician from Santa’s Friend Chimney Service to do this job for you.
Want to schedule your annual dryer vent cleaning? Contact Santa’s Friend Chimney Service to make your appointment today to be sure your clothes dryer is not a fire hazard.
