Our Company Blog

Have Your Heating System Inspected After Cold Weather

Spring has sprung in Suffolk County! While you are busy breaking out your shorts and sandals and prepping your home for outdoor entertaining with family and friends, make sure your spring cleaning checklist includes having your chimney and heating system inspected. We had a long, cold winter this year and the type of weather we endured can take its toll on your chimney. At Chief Chimney Services we are happy to come to your home and do a thorough chimney inspection.

Why Have Your Chimney Inspected After Winter?

During winter a lot of things are happening outside that can affect what happens to your chimney on the inside. For example, when the weather freezes and thaws, this can cause the mortar in your chimney to expand and contract. The result of expanding mortar is often cracked and broken bricks inside your chimney.

A lot of simple masonry damage can remedied with some tuckpointing once the weather breaks. A professional chimney company can come to your home and tuckpoint, or force fresh mortar into the joints of your bricks in order to preserve the integrity of the chimney and prevent further breakage.

Another way winter weather can take its toll on your chimney is by water damage. If your chimney has not been properly capped, or if your chimney cap is broken then you may notice some water damage inside your chimney. Water can cause creosote build-up and can cause your fireplace or woodstove to work ineffectively. Having your chimney inspected after the long winter months can make sure any water damage is not extensive and can also remedy the problem before it becomes too serious.

During winter months, critters like birds and squirrels look for any place warm and dry to call home. Your chimney may have become home to these types of pests when the cold weather was here, and a professional chimney inspection and sweeping can remove these critters so they don’t wreak havoc on your chimney.

Hiring A Certified Chimney Sweep

The best way to prevent chimney damage is to have a professional, certified chimney sweeping company come to your home and take a look at your chimney. CSIA certified chimney sweeps are held to the highest educational standards in order to offer premium chimney sweeping services. Our certified chimney sweeps will come to your home and provide a thorough inspection and sweeping of your chimney just in time for the warm weather. Some things our technicians look for include:

• Rusting components such as dampers and flues
• Sticks, leaves and other debris
• Bird and squirrel nests
• Brick and mortar damage
• Shifting chimney structures

Contact Chief Chimney Services in Suffolk County today for more information about how we can inspect your chimney and fireplace as part of your spring cleaning. Tackling chimney care as part of your home maintenance can keep the integrity of your chimney intact, which can make starting fires in your wood-burning heating appliance that much easier next winter. Call the professionals and have your chimney inspected and swept by the best in the business today.

Now Is The Time For Masonry Repairs

Spring has sprung! At Chief Chimney Services in Suffolk County we are so excited to gear up for great season of chimney sweeping and inspection. We are sure that every homeowner has a long list of items on their spring cleaning checklist and we are grateful to be able to serve the area for another year.

While you are scheduling your professional chimney sweeping and inspection, consider tackling those chimney masonry repairs you have been putting off. Spring is the perfect time to take care of some basic chimney repairs and it is important to stay on top of any fireplace or chimney damage before they escalate into costly rebuilding. Hiring a professional chimney sweeping and repair company can save you money on costly repairs in the long run.

Winter Chimney Damage

Winter is tough on chimneys. Firstly, the weather is wet and cold, and the harsh elements of winter can wreak havoc on the masonry of your chimney. Bricks can last a long time, but mortar (the cement holding each brick together) is not as durable. Moisture from severe winter weather can seep into the mortar and cause it to crack, break and crumble. If you do not take proper precautions to repair this it can result in the bricks in your chimney shifting and crumbling, which can jeopardize the overall integrity of the structure of your chimney.

Another common chimney danger is when pests make their home in your chimney. Chimneys are typically warm and dry so pests like rats, mice and birds often make their homes in this environment. Some birds build nests right into the mortar of the chimney, which can cause it to crack and break and cause subsequent damage to the bricks. These common winter problems can be held at bay with some simple masonry repair work during spring.

Tuckpointing

Tuckpointing is probably the most common form of masonry repair. Tuckpointing is when mortar is “tucked” into the damaged mortar joints of your fireplace and chimney. The result is an easy repair that reinforces the bricks to avoid potential damage to the overall integrity of your chimney.

We have had a severe winter with a lot of wet weather and this can be particularly damaging to the mortar and masonry work of your chimney. Be a proactive homeowner by schedule a routine masonry repair to keep your chimney intact and your home looking beautiful.

Additional Benefits Of Tuckpointing

• Provides structural security to the chimney
• Restores beauty to the structure
• Waterproofs your chimney
• A simple, cost-effective repair
• Prolongs the integrity of your chimney while preventing major repairs

Tuckpointing and other types of simple chimney masonry repair are the best ways to prevent costly modifications to your chimney. Because the weather is so mild during spring, this truly is the best time to schedule a chimney inspection and masonry repair. A professional technician like those at Chief Chimney Services, Inc will come to your home, thoroughly inspect your chimney and answer any questions you may have about basic repairs. Schedule your chimney inspection and masonry repair today.