Santa's Friend Chimney Service

Santa's Friend Chimney Service Blog

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.

Annual Chimney Cleaning - Jackson MS - Santas-Friend.com

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.

By Jim Robinson on August 12th, 2014 | Tagged with: Tags: , , | Leave a Comment

Understanding Your Gas Fireplace

Fireplaces have long been a desired feature for homeowners. Sitting at home on a cold winter night, a fireplace will not only keep you warm, but also add to the ambiance of home. Today, homeowners can add a fireplace to their home, even if they do not have a chimney in place. This has made gas fireplaces an extremely popular choice for homeowners.

Santa's Friend Chimney - Gas Fireplace

A gas fireplace operates in much the same way as a gas stove. There is a pilot light that ignites the main fire source. Instead of having wood logs, however, the fireplace contains imitation logs, which are available in a variety of materials. When lit, most have a hard time distinguishing gas fireplaces from wood fireplaces.

An advantage in having a gas fireplace is that gas burns clean, compared to a wood fireplace that creates smoke and can cause a creosote buildup in the flue of the chimney. In addition, modern gas fireplaces are more energy efficient, as there are ventless fireplaces that can be used. Instead of a significant portion of the heat escaping through the chimney, it remains in the room, making the fireplace a more effective source of heat.

If a homeowner does not have a chimney in place, installing a gas fireplace makes much more sense. A wood-burning fireplace would require extensive remodeling to have a chimney installed. Because gas fireplaces can be installed without vents, the homeowner avoids the added costs and can add the fireplace with minimal remodeling costs.

While there is much less maintenance and cleanup required, the homeowner needs to be aware that some maintenance is required. The fireplace will still have to be cleaned on occasion to remove buildup from dust, carbon, and soot. In addition, if this is being installed in a previous wood burning fireplace with chimney, the homeowner should still have an annual chimney inspection.

By Jim Robinson on November 29th, 2012 | Tagged with: Tags: , | Leave a Comment