A certified chimney inspection in Illinois is one of the key ‘to-do’s’ for the holidays. The last thing you need are a bunch of complaints because it’s too cold. There’s a cold draft coming from the fireplace. Or the fire is nice and warm, but the kids playing are starting to cough because there’s a […]
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 […]
Clean and Check the Chimney. You Never Know What You May Find
Clean and check the chimney is a common spring-cleaning item on many homeowners’ list. Spring cleaning the chimney can take on different meanings. Sometimes it means repairing the chimney like tuckpointing. Other times it may mean checking and getting rid of critters and debris left over from the Fall and Winter seasons. However, sometimes, a […]
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 […]
Plenty of Rain, High Humidity, and You’re Wondering Why the Fireplace Smells
Some homeowners might shrug-off the fireplace smells as most households have air conditioning. If you have the air conditioning on, then the fireplace won’t smell…right? Not so fast. First, glass doors are frequently found in front of the fireplace. How does the fresh air get in there? It doesn’t. Also, let’s say you have a […]
Thank you for a great 2020 and Happy Times Around the Fireplace
As 2020 comes to a close, we wanted to thank all the fans of the fireplace for keeping your chimney and fireplace clean, safe and fun with Superior Chimney. We appreciate your comments and responses to our numerous articles including: Looking for Options to Stay Warm? Is It Getting Hotter in the House with the […]
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. […]
Growing Green on the Chimney
Yup, we’re talking about weeds and other growing plants and undesirable plants growing directly out of and on the chimney. What are they? And is it a good idea to have decorative plants on the chimney? Here are a couple of questions we’ve received over the past couple of years. With spring coming soon, (especially […]
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 […]
That’s Not the Smell of Turkey – Where’s the Smoke?
Yesterday, I went to a friend’s house for a ‘dry run’ for Thanksgiving Day. I have never participated in a dry run, so this was new. A ‘dry run’ is more about process and timing and not necessarily taste testing the food. Disappointing, but I think we all got that one down just fine. When […]
