Our Company Blog

Operating Your Fireplace this Autumn

October for many simply means new decorations, Halloween parties, and pumpkin spice treats. For some, though, it is time to think about your fireplace. When you’re ready to light your first fire of the season, you want to know your chimney is ready, and that your fire will be safe and warm.

A Fire-Ready Fireplace

Both the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) recommends routine maintenance for a safe and efficient fire. You may schedule annual chimney inspections and base your chimney sweeps on your inspector’s recommendations. You may schedule your sweep for spring, and your inspection for fall. Maybe you just want to do them both together, and that is fine, too. The important thing is that your chimney is safe and has been assessed by a certified chimney sweep before burn season.

Preparing for Winter

Your chimney may be in good shape, but you’d like some added protection. You can schedule waterproofing services with Chief Chimney Services before winter. This vapor-soluble sealant keeps water molecules out, while allowing gases to escape.

Proper Fuel Store

When you have a wood-burning fireplace, insert, or stove, you should have a supply of properly seasoned wood to burn in your fire. Burning green/fresh wood or any other material including trash and cloth, it can burn incompletely, increasing the smoke, creosote, and pollution produced by your fire. Burning seasoned wood will decrease the amount of wood you have to burn during one season, saving you in resources and utilities. You will also need chimney sweep services less often when you have an efficient fire, saving you money in maintenance and repairs.

Fireplace Safety

Burn season is long, and during cold weather, families often spend an increased time indoors. Additionally, through fall and winter there are many reasons to have guests and host get-togethers, and it’s important that everyone stays safe.

• Never leave children unattended with a fire. You can add a barrier by installing a screen or custom glass doors.
• Keep the damper open while the fire is burning to allow the smoke, gas, and particulate pollution up the flue.
• Keep decorations, furniture, and drapes away from the hearth.
• Use only proper fireplace tools and accessories when stirring the fire or adjusting logs. For added protection, use leather gloves to prevent burns.
• Check the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. If you do not have these installed, do so before lighting a fire.
• Plan a fire escape with your family and make sure to practice at least monthly so that everyone knows how to best leave the house during a fire.
• Keep a first aid kit and fire extinguisher in the house. First aid kits should only be used for minor injuries, not to replace emergency care. A fire extinguisher should be used only to escape or to put out a small fire, not to attempt to put out a house fire.

When Autumn arrives in full swing, you won’t want to wait to light your fire. Make sure it’s safe so it’s ready when you are.

Enhance Fireplace Efficiency and Style

Did you know that if you have a problem with your fire, it may not be a problem with your fireplace or chimney? If you have trouble with your chimney system, and it has been checked for safety, cleanliness, and function, there is probably another issue.

Burning Properly Seasoned Wood

Your wood-burning fireplace, stove, or insert is designed to burn properly seasoned wood only. When you use the wrong fuel, the fire doesn’t burn properly and the chimney won’t work properly.
Signs you’re burning the wrong wood:

• The system requires frequent cleaning
• An excess of ash due to incomplete burning
• Dark blue/gray smoke from the chimney
• Small flame
• Blackened glass/window on stove or fireplace
• Smoky fireplace even while damper is fully open
• More wood required to reach a desired temperature

When you burn the correct wood, you should see a hotter fire, a bigger flame, and thinner smoke. It will take less wood to reach the same temperature, saving you resources, time, and energy (hauling, cutting, stacking wood). When you burn properly seasoned wood, you will find there is less creosote and soot buildup inside the chimney flue, because the air is hot enough to drive it up and out of the chimney system. There will be less particulate pollution to pollute the environment and less necessary cutting from the environment. In all, you will save big when you burn the right fuel in your wood-burning fireplace.

Choosing the Right Wood

Not all woods are created equal. Some trees are much harder than others, and how hard they are will determine how long your wood should sit and season before it’s burned. Trees live and grow using water, and their trunks and branches are filled with tiny vein-like tubes that hold water. When you cut the tree down, or when your supplier cuts it down, these tubes are still filled with water. If you let the whole tree sit, it may take years for tubes to dry, if ever. But if you cut the wood and let it sit, it will dry in a matter of months, and will be ready to burn efficiently.

Hard woods have a higher heat output than soft woods, but require longer to season (6-12 months). Softer species of wood can season in a shorter amount of time (3-6 months), but will burn faster and with less heat output. Which you use will depend on availability and personal need. If you use a fireplace occasionally, you may not be picky about the type of wood you use, but you should be picky about the quality of wood you choose.

Check Your Wood Before You Burn!

Even if you buy your wood, you can make sure it’s seasoned by looking it over before you buy. It should be dull in color, light in weight, the bark should pull away from the wood with cracks along the edges of the wood, and produce a hollow noise when hit together.

The wood you burn plays a big part in how your chimney functions! Revitalize your fire by burning the correct fuel! If you still have chimney problems, ask a professional at Chief Chimney Services. Call 631-863-2460 today.

Uses for Ashes in the Spring

Through an entire burn season your fireplace or stove has produced buckets and buckets of ashes. If you saved them you might wonder what you could use them for. Whether you’ve added them to compost through the winter or have kept them separate there are many uses for ashes this spring.

Ashes in Your Garden

Ashes added to your compost can enhance the nutrients therein before adding it to the garden.  Sprinkled directly onto the garden before tilling can help you attain a certain level of acidity and placing a 1/4 cup of ashes directly into the hole when planting tomatoes can mean a healthy plant and plump fruits. Placing them in a flower garden can also enhance the color of some species as well as promote healthy plants.

Ashes for Cleaning

When you are deep into your spring cleaning, you can use ashes as an effective and safe cleaning aid. Ashes mixed with a small amount of water can clean your fireplace or stove glass better than most products on the market. You can use the same mixture for shining your metal handles, as well as chrome on your car!

Ashes as Pest Repellent

As spring rains and warm weather persist, bugs and pests might seek shelter in your home. If you notice the shiny trails of slugs weaving along your floors or walls, you can use ashes to stop them in their tracks. It may be difficult to find the place where they enter, but sprinkling ashes along cracks can prevent slugs and snails. If you’re unable to find the cracks that allow these pests into your house, you can also sprinkle ashes along the foundation and in the crawl spaces beneath your house.

Ashes as Pet Treatment

Ashes can deter fleas, ticks, lice, and mites in your animals, as well as help with general skin irritations. Sprinkling a bucket of ashes into a chicken coop can make dust-bathing even more affective for your poultry. In the same way, pet owners can rub a small amount of ashes through the coat of cats or dogs to curb a flea infestation. This same small bit of ashes in the fur also neutralizes pet odors. Sprinkling ashes at the bottom of the cat litter box also neutralizes odors.

Ashes to Control Pond Algae

It doesn’t take much, but using wood ashes in your pond, large or small, can control the algae growth that can turn your pond an ugly green. Just 1 tbsp per 1,000 gallons can be an affective and free pond water treatment.

No matter how you store or use your wood ashes this spring, make sure they are cool before using them for any purpose and that you wear a mask to cover your mouth and nose when you are shoveling, sprinkling, or moving ashes. You should also make sure to have your fireplace and chimney professionally cleaned so that ashes aren’t left in your fireplace or stove through the summer. Ashes will start to stink once they mingle with summer humidity. You can schedule an appointment with Chief Chimney Services online or by calling 631-863-2460 today.

Firebox Repair

Your firebox is the space within the chimney system where the fire actually burns. Of all the parts of the chimney, the firebox withstands the most heat and abuse. Therefore, it can become damaged quickly. When the firebox is damaged, it becomes an extreme fire hazard and needs attention immediately.

Firebox Damage

There are a few things that can cause the firebox to deteriorate faster than normal. The firebox is commonly constructed in a way that is heat-resistant and built-to-last. So, it’s important to discover the reason for the damage.

Common causes include:

• Water Damage. Water wreaks havoc on masonry! When water mixes with soot it can deteriorate masonry quickly, leaving cracks, holes, and spalling masonry. Even a small amount of water can become trapped inside the masonry. This causes freezing and thawing, causing larger cracks, and allowing more water. The cycle is detrimental to even a well constructed fire box.
• Poor Construction. An experienced chimney technician will use refractory bricks and materials to construct the firebox. These special heat-resistant bricks are designed to withstand a high concentration of heat. The kind of heat that exists daily when you use your fireplace regularly. If regular bricks are used, a homeowner may need chimney maintenance often. Consequently, a dishonest chimney sweep company will continue this cycle. Therefore, it’s important to find a chimney sweep that will fix a problem at its source.
• Age. Overtime even a well-constructed and maintained firebox can deteriorate. Small cracks in mortar and bricks can quickly become bigger cracks. Plus, damage in the firebox, big or small, raises risk of fire!
• Environmental Changes. Environmental occurrences can cause damage to the firebox that homeowners often don’t expect. Earthquakes are a common cause of damage to the firebox and masonry in general. In addition, heavy winds and storms can also cause water damage that leads to firebox damage.

Let Chief Chimney Services Repair Your Firebox

When it comes to firebox construction, repair, and restorations, count on Chief Chimney Services. We has the training, expertise, and experience to get the job done, and get it done right. We only use refractory bricks and materials. This is because we want you to be able to use your firebox for years to come. If your firebox doesn’t require a full restoration, we can repair it with a simple tuckpointing, using refractory materials to ensure a long life for your firebox.

Chief Chimney doesn’t just place a band-aid over the problem, we solve it at its root. We don’t just repair the damage, we find its source and fix that too. Even if your firebox damage is caused from water damage, our chimney sweeps are expertly trained and experienced. They will find the source of the leak swiftly and formulate a repair plan that works for your family and your budget.

Call Chief Chimney Services and talk to a certified chimney sweep today. For your convenience you can also request an appointment online.

Is a Storm Collar Right for You?

As a home or business owner you want to take all reasonable measures to prevent damage to your chimney system. If your home or business has a pre-fabricated chimney, you will need a storm collar, sometimes called a chimney collar.

Courtesy Jerry Isenhour

What Is It?

A masonry chimney will have a chimney cap on top of the masonry that keeps the outside OUT. The chimney cap is designed to allow smoke and gas to vent out, but keep moisture, weather, debris, and animals from entering the chimney opening. The chimney cap fits specifically onto a masonry chimney.

Similarly, the storm collar, or chimney collar, is specifically designed to fit over a pre-fabricated chimney. Unlike the chimney caps which fit to the top of the masonry chimney, the storm collar fits over the chimney piping of a pre-fabricated chimney. It should be professionally installed, and works with the flashing to keep the water running away from the chimney and roof intersection as well as to keep it out of the chimney opening.

Do You Need a Collar?

The short answer is YES. If you have a pre-fabricated chimney you need a storm collar. This is not an area where home owners should cut corners. Without the collar, weather and debris can fall into your chimney, allowing for accumulation of soot and debris that eventually restrict air flow. This will slow the ventilation of hot gases and can cause chimney fires. It can also cause a smoky fireplace as well as make it harder to start and keep a fire burning hot. When you depend on your fireplace of stove for home-heating, it is important to make sure it is efficient.

Benefits

Our CSIA Certified Chimney Sweeps at Chief Chimney Services have experience in the Long Island, New York area since the 1980s. We are familiar with the climate, seasonal patterns and risk factors of having a chimney system in the area. We recommend storm collars to our customers with pre-fabricated chimneys and provide expert installations, repairs, and replacements of these products. Long Island can have heavy snow and strong gusts of wind, especially during fire-burning season. Providing the same function as a chimney cap, a storm collar:

• Prevents animal inhabitation, so that animals aren’t nesting (or dying) in the chimney, causing obstruction.
• Prevents water damage that wreaks havoc on a masonry chimney, and can cause creosote buildup in pre-fabricated chimneys.
• Prevents wind gusts and draftiness that keep the smoke and gas from rising up the chimney as it should.
• Prevent flue blockages. Covering the chimney can prevent flue blockages for all the reasons mentioned above, and more. When the chimney is unprotected, debris can also fall into the chimney opening, causing blockages.If you’re ready for your annual chimney inspection and have questions or concerns about your chimney and storm collar, a Chief Chimney Services expert is standing by. Call or schedule an appointment today.

HeatShield Ceramic Flue Sealant Can Save Your Fireplace and Home

A fireplace acts as a beautiful, sophisticated focal point in any home. It faithfully serves you every chilly New York winter, providing you with a source of heat and adding that special ambiance for holidays or get-togethers. In return, you lovingly address all of your fireplace’s maintenance needs on a regular basis by having professional chimney sweeps and inspections performed. Although regular maintenance can prevent many problems, it cannot always prevent everything. Specifically, if your inspector finds a hole or crack in the chimney lining or flue, this needs to be taken care of right away because it poses a serious safety hazard.

How is a Damaged Flue Dangerous?

Hearing from your inspector that your flue has suffered damage is not something any homeowner wants to hear. Oftentimes, people may brush the issue off as minor and forgo repairing the damage. Unfortunately, ignoring your damaged flue can have disastrous consequences.

According to the Chimney Safety Institute of America, when an unlined chimney is used to vent a fire, the adjacent structural woodwork can catch fire within 3 ½ hours. When gases from the fire escape the flue through a hole or crack, or if no flue is present to begin with, the hot mixture of smoke, toxins and particularly embers will seep toward your house’s structure. After a certain amount of exposure to the emissions of the fire, the combustible materials in your home (wood, drywall, plaster) will catch on fire.

In addition, the gases that escape from your flue deteriorate the mortar of your chimney. This also allows gases to travel closer to your home and even enter your home. Dangerous smoke, containing carbon monoxide and the known carcinogen creosote, is not something that should be in your home. Also, as the mortar deteriorates so does the structural integrity of your masonry chimney. After extended exposure to smoke, the entire chimney structure could potentially collapse – dangerous and costly.

How Should I Fix My Flue?

Instead of replacing your entire chimney liner, which can be expensive, you have another, more affordable option to repair it. Even if the damage is extensive, the product called HeatShield Ceramic Flue Sealant can repair anything – from plugging small holes to resealing an entire flue.

Chief Chimney Services says that HeatShield has the durability of ceramic and cement, and the product comes with a 20 year warranty when it is installed by a certified technician. A blade customized to your chimney applies and smoothes the material to any damaged areas of your flue. The HeatShield company also requires a video inspection before and after the application to ensure the highest quality work.

Who Can Apply HeatShield Ceramic Flue Sealant?

Only certified technicians can apply HeatShield Ceramic Flue Sealant, because they are trained to properly assess the damage, apply the product and guarantee a long lasting seal. If you live in Suffolk County, New York or the surrounding area, call Chief Chimney Services for a professional consultation from HeatShield-certified technicians.

The Science of Combustion

Ever wondered how a flame stays lit? Many fireplace owners have problems keeping their fire burning because they don’t know the basics of combustion. Here’s what you need to know:

Understanding the combustion process can increase energy efficiency and promote safety in your home.

The Rundown on Chimney Mold

Molds can pose serious health risks to you and your family. Don’t allow them to flourish in your chimney. Make sure water and moisture stay out!

Mold is something you never want in your home, and most people think of the basement as the most common area for mold growth. However, if you have a leaky chimney with water penetrating your chimney walls, your chimney can be a prime spot for mold growth. Mold can spread quickly through your house, so if you have chimney mold, it should be removed as soon as possible to keep you and your family safe from the adverse health effects breathing in mold spores can cause. Chief Chimney Services would like to answer a few questions for you about chimney mold to inform you how to be on the lookout for a mold invasion of your fireplace and chimney.

What causes fireplace and chimney mold?

According to the website Mold Advisor, unused fireplaces are the most common places for chimney mold to develop. The dark, damp, and poorly vented unused fireplace creates the perfect environment for mold to grow. The warm summer months, when you are not using your fireplace, is the perfect time for this to occur. The most likely fireplaces and chimneys to develop mold growth have leaks somewhere in the chimney because water is needed to allow mold to grow. Chief Chimney Services can not only take care of removing chimney mold, but we can also repair leaky chimneys to keep water out which lowers the possibility of mold to even occur.

What are the signs of chimney mold?

If the mold has spread, you may see mold growing on the bricks of your outer fireplace or even on the walls or ceiling of the room that contains the fireplace. If you do spot mold growth on the outside of your fireplace or in the room, call Chief Chimney Services immediately to have us inspect the inside of your chimney for more mold. Most likely, the mold is unable to be seen because it is only growing on the walls of the inside of your chimney. However, you will probably notice the distinctive musty smell of mold coming from your fireplace. You and your family may also be suffering from respiratory problems due to breathing the mold. If you suspect chimney mold, again call us as soon as possible to inspect your chimney and fireplace and remove the mold.

What are the adverse health effects mold can have on me and my family?

In the beginning, mold can cause breathing problems similar to the common cold with sneezing, coughing, headache, runny nose, and a sore throat. However, prolonged breathing of mold spores can cause serious illnesses like asthma attacks, chronic sinusitis, allergic reactions, and pneumonia.

How do I remove chimney mold from my fireplace and chimney?

You are strongly advised to allow professionals like Chief Chimney Services to remove all of the chimney mold growth as it can be a hazardous job. However, if your doctor okays it, you can clean up any exterior mold from bricks by using an antifungal cleanser and a stiff brush. Be sure to wear a breathing mask when cleaning up mold.

If you have any other questions about chimney mold, contact Chief Chimney Services today. Our staff is happy to assist you quickly with this possibly dangerous problem.

Types of Masonry Restoration

If your masonry and/or firebox needs some repairs, call us and our experts will have it fixed in no time!

Masonry restoration is the phrase used for working with any form of masonry on an existing building or home that doesn’t encompass actually building it. Restoration runs the gamut from tearing the masonry down and rebuilding it from scratch to cleaning and sealing. One of the most commonly needed restoration projects is masonry and firebox repair. Keep reading to learn what this job involves and why it’s so critical.

Masonry and Firebox Repair

The specific type of mortar used in fireboxes is called refractory mortar. However, don’t assume that your fireplace was built with this mortar. The chances of an older home actually having refractory mortar in the firebox are slimmer than the chances of a newer home. This is due in large part to changing building codes and the availability of the product. Many brick masons who constructed fireboxes in homes well into the 1990s used either a Portland-cement-based mortar or a self-concocted fireclay mortar (a mix of Portland cement, crushed fireclay, and sand).

Although both of these mortars were approved by building codes of the time, they haven’t fared well in homes in which the fireplaces are used regularly; the problem is simple: Portland cement doesn’t hold up well when subjected to the cycle of heating and cooling that occurs in a firebox. In an effort to combat this problem, most major building codes have added clauses requiring refractory mortar be used, as it doesn’t use Portland cement as a binder; instead, either calcium aluminate or sodium silicate is the binder. Over the long haul, refractory mortar performs far better than Portland-cement mortar and is more readily available than it was a few decades ago.

Approaches for Repairing a Damaged Firebox Mortar

In order to repair damaged firebox mortar, you can take one of three approaches. The first approach involves simply scraping out and repointing the joints between the bricks with refractory mortar. The second approach involves applying a thin coat of refractory cement over the floor of the firebox. The final approach involves removing damaged bricks and replacing them with castable refractory cement. No matter which approach is taken, scrubbing the surface clean and vacuuming any dust before making the repair is critical.

Along with any part of your home, your fireplace requires maintenance to ensure your family’s safety during its use. A damaged firebox can be a potential fire hazard and should be repaired or replaced before using the fireplace again. At Chief Chimney Services, we work hard and pride ourselves on doing outstanding chimney and firebox repair and restoration work. The level of expertise of our CSIA-certified chimney sweeps is unmatched by anyone else on Long Island. No matter what your question or problem, we’re here to help! Contact us to schedule an appointment today.

Tell Me About Chimney Mold

Water in your chimney allows mold to thrive. This is not a good thing. Make sure to waterproof your chimney.

As chimney professionals, a lot of what Chief Chimney Services technicians will talk to homeowners about regularly focuses on preventing fire hazards, maintaining proper draft and keeping up with regular maintenance. It’s also important for us to talk about something that might seem a little less obvious with your chimney system: mold growth.

Mold can and will grow and spread just about anywhere it gets access to moisture and food (like the building materials that make up your home). So if moisture makes its way into your chimney — through damaged masonry or other damaged components — that dark, enclosed and moist space can make a perfect home for mold. Since our chimneys are largely dormant for months out of the year, and Long Island humidity contributes a healthy share of moisture just about year-round, we need to be particularly aware of chimney mold here.

Why Do I Need To Know About Chimney Mold?

Mold growth creates stains and smells, and those annoyances are reason enough to not want it in your home. But related health issues are more concerning. Airborne mold spores have been shown to contribute to a variety of health issues, including respiratory problems, skin and eye irritation and longer-term illnesses. Certain types of mold — so-called “black mold” — are toxic, and have been linked to severe issues from pulmonary illnesses to nerve damage and more. People who already struggle with asthma and other respiratory illnesses or have weakened immune systems have been found to be particularly susceptible to the effects of mold. So it’s important to know about mold growth, and to deal with it quickly if it’s found in your home.

How Do I Know If There’s Mold In My Chimney?

It’s possible that you’ll see the signs of mold on or around your chimney — like discoloration of the masonry or adjacent building materials, or flaky and crystallized white efflorescence, which isn’t mold, but does point to a moisture intrusion problem. More often, though, if mold is growing inside your chimney where it isn’t in plain sight, the first indication will be a musty odor. We all know the smell of mold — it’s what most of us think of as that dank and unpleasant old-basement smell. If you notice an odor, Chief Chimney Services can inspect the chimney to assess whether there’s a moisture issue and mold growth.

How Does Mold End Up In My Chimney?

Mold spores are everywhere, and if they get a dark space to thrive and moisture to feed on, they’ll grow. So mold growth in your chimney is a sure indication that there’s a moisture issue — and dealing with that moisture issue is the key to dealing with your mold.

What Can I Do To Get Rid Of Mold In My Chimney?

The most effective way to get rid of chimney mold: Call Chief Chimney Services. Since breathing mold spores can be dangerous, it’s generally not advised to clean mold yourself on a space that’s any larger than 10 square feet (about a 3 by 3 square). If there’s mold growth inside your chimney, it’ll require special tools to properly get to it, as well. But beyond that, cleaning mold without addressing the moisture intrusion or leak issues is a temporary fix — the mold will grow back again. We can inspect and clean your chimney, find any leaks or moisture intrusion issues (which can be anything from degraded masonry to a cracked chimney crown  or damaged flashing) and provide solutions and repairs.

If you have any questions or concerns about chimney mold, we’re always here to help. Just give Chief Chimney Services a call!