With the warm temperatures we experienced this week, it’s hard to imagine the cooler chills creeping in this weekend. Over the summer months, we enjoyed the silence of the fireplace, just admiring its stillness and patience…until we meet again. As the Fall temperatures begin to insert itself more and more, there is a glimmer of […]
Chimney Fires: A Real Threat to Your Home
How often do you hear on tv or online about chimney fires in the home? With all of the bad news out there, is there time to cover chimney fires? Let’s bring you up to speed with chimney fires in and around the Chicago area. What are Chimney Fires? According to the CSIA, the Chimney […]
Chimney Stories of a Christmas Past
In a meeting last week with our Certified Chimney Technicians, they began to share some of their past experiences as the Christmas holiday approaches. Some were reluctant to tell their story. Who would believe them? Will you? We’ll need to keep their names anonymous. Chimney Technician #1: It was the last chimney service appointment of […]
Giving Your Old Chimney New Life
As you drive around any of the suburbs or within the City of Chicago, you will quickly find many homes that were built prior to 1960. Although older homes are beautiful and exhibit characteristics of the time, it also lacks the safety codes that are standard in newer homes built after 1960. Sadly, these codes […]
How Often Do You Use Your Fireplace?
Have you ever wondered how many people use their fireplace? There’s practically a fireplace (or three) in homes all across Chicago and the Chicagoland area. The fireplace has become the useable accessory in our family room, kitchen and even the bedrooms. But not everyone uses it…or do they? Here’s what we found out from a […]
Should I Schedule a Chimney Inspection Now?
It is true that the most popular times to schedule a chimney cleaning and inspection is either in the Fall or in the Spring, after a long cold winter. However, this winter has been extra special. According the NBC Chicago, from October through January 26, we only received 8.6” of snow. As we all enjoyed […]
How to Achieve a Picture Perfect Fireplace for Thanksgiving
Preparing for the Thanksgiving holiday is turning out to be a bit different. Gone this year is the uncle who throws crumbs of food and bits of trash in the fireplace. Or the kids that like to poke the fireplace logs sending sparks in every direction. This year, we get to create our own scene. […]
Do I Really Need to Clean the Chimney…Again?
The air conditioner cover is on, the furnace filter has been changed…now what am I forgetting? Ah, that’s right. Get the chimney sweep done. Do I really need to sweep the chimney this year? I use a gas fireplace. I don’t need to get it swept…right? Gas fireplaces are a great convenience as they can […]
You’ve Used Your Fireplace… Are You Taking Care of It?
In the past week, 3 chimney fires were reported in the news. There were two chimney fires in Park Ridge, one was in a townhouse, and the third chimney fire was in Kenosha, WI. Just in December, chimney fires were reported in Lake Zurich as well as in Springfield. As everyone is inundated with information […]
Winter Chimney & Fireplace Leaks
There are 2 key reasons why chimney’s leak in the winter:
Chimney Liner – Do you know if you have a chimney lining? If not, or if you are not sure, get your chimney inspected right away. If you do have a chimney liner, it may be the wrong size or it’s just seen better days. It’s best to have that inspected and taken care of.
Chimney Flashing – Water can sit in the flashing…then freeze…then thaw…then freeze again with the melted water making its way under the roof shingles and right into your home.
