T.J.s Chimney Service

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1432 E. Main St · Greenfield, Indiana 46140
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Benjamin Franklin and the Franklin Stove

by TJ Robinson Leave a Comment

benjamin-franklin-62846_1280Benjamin Franklin is best known as one of our nation’s Founding Fathers. He helped to draft the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. In addition, to being a statesman and diplomat, Franklin was also an author, publisher, scientist and inventor.

Franklin was naturally curious about things and how they worked, so it’s no surprise that he would want to find ways to make things work better. One of his early inventions, the Franklin stove, was invented to help colonists heat their homes more efficiently and safely.

In colonial America, homes were heated by fireplaces, which unfortunately, were very inefficient. They produced a lot of smoke and most of the heat went up the chimney.

In an effort to solve the problem of heat escaping up the chimney, Franklin developed a freestanding cast-iron fireplace, called the Pennsylvania Fireplace, in 1741. The Pennsylvania Fireplace could stand in the middle of the hearth and radiate heat in all directions. It had a hood-like enclosure that was open to the front. In the rear, there was an air box or hollow baffle that transferred heat to the room’s air. Vents near the top expelled heat into the room. The fireplace also featured a U-shaped flue called an inverted siphon that drew the fire’s hot fumes around the air box. The flue would carry the smoke and ash first downward through the floor and then up the chimney. But in order for the smoke to flow properly, the fire needed to burn constantly to produce a proper draft.

Unfortunately, Franklin’s pamphlet for the fireplace didn’t explain about the need to keep the siphon warm, so it would work properly. Therefore, his fireplaces often produced a poor draft since the smoke cooled too much passing through the siphon. Consequently, Franklin didn’t sell too many of his Pennsylvania Fireplaces.

Since Franklin didn’t patent his fireplace design, other people developed improvements to the fireplace/stove. In 1780, David Rittenhouse modified Franklin’s design by angling the sides of the stove to radiate more heat into the room. Also Rittenhouse changed the U-shaped flue system to an L-shaped system to allow for better smoke ventilation. While he called his invention the Rittenhouse stove, it become better known as the Franklin stove.

While today’s modern homes don’t use Franklin stoves any longer, many homeowners still use wood-burning stoves to heat their homes. To make sure your wood-burning stove is operating properly, you should have it inspected and cleaned annually by a professional chimney sweep, like T.J.’s Chimney Service. Contact T.J.’s Chimney Service to schedule your stove inspection and cleaning today.

 

Filed Under: Fun Stuff

Troubleshooting Tips for Gas Fireplace Problems

by TJ Robinson Leave a Comment

There’s nothing quite like a gas fireplace for convenience. Flip the switch and you have an instant fire, adding warmth and ambiance to your home. But what happens when you flip the switch and nothing happens? Below are some tips to help you troubleshoot this problem and others with your propane or natural gas log fireplace.

  •  Check to make sure the gas fireplace wall switch is turned on.
  •  Look to see if your home’s gas shutoff switch is turned on. If not, turn it on and restart the fireplace.
  • Inspect the pilot light to see if it’s gone out. If so, make sure the gas value is turned on. Relight the pilot according to the instructions in the owner’s manual. However, if you smell gas, do not light the pilot.
  • Examine your gas tank to see if it’s empty, or check to see if your utility company has turned off your gas.
  • Inspect the fireplace vent cap if you feel a draft that could have blown out the pilot light. Make sure the cap is in place.
  • If the pilot light is on, but the burner won’t turn on, make sure the thermostat is on and that the current room temperature is below the thermostat setting.
  • If you smell a gas odor, make sure the fireplace damper is open to properly ventilate the fumes up the chimney.
  • If you smell a strong gas odor and the fireplace damper is open, don’t use your fireplace and contact your gas company or a gas fireplace service technician to determine if you have a gas leak.
  • If you turn on your gas fireplace and your carbon monoxide detector goes off, turn off your fireplace immediately and don’t use it again until you’ve had a professional chimney sweep, like T. J.’s Chimney Service in Greenfield, IN, inspect and sweep your chimney. You likely have a bird or animal nest in your flue blocking airflow.
  • If you think you may have another mechanical problem with your gas fireplace, have it inspected and repaired by a gas fireplace service company to ensure the problem is fixed correctly for your safety.

While gas is generally a clean-burning fuel, the National Fire Protection Association and the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) recommends that you have your fireplace and chimney inspected at least once year to make sure it’s operating properly and clear of any debris and obstructions. As a certified CSIA chimney sweep, the professionals at T. J.’s Chimney Service can inspect and sweep your gas-burning chimney to make sure it’s functioning at peak performance. Contact them online or at 317-455-5310 to schedule your appointment today.

Filed Under: Safety

Reduce Your Child’s Risk of Asthma

by TJ Robinson Leave a Comment

happy-286152_1280Over six million children in the U.S. have asthma. Medical studies have shown that long-term exposure to mold in your home can double your child’s risk of developing asthma. But there are some solutions to prevent and reduce mold in your home. Molds are fungi – plant-like organisms that grow outside or indoors. Inside your home, molds grow in damp areas, like your kitchen, bathrooms or basement. Molds produce millions of spores that can become airborne in your home. When your child breathes in these spores, it can cause an allergic reaction that may develop into asthma due to respiratory irritation. The odor of household mold has been found to increase a child’s risk of developing asthma by about 2.5 times. Musty odors can also cause nose, eye and throat irritation.

If you have children, it’s important to be aware of the potentially harmful effects of long- term exposure to mold and its link to asthma, so you can take preventative measures to reduce your children’s risks. Some ways you can control mold growth in your home include:

  •  Keeping humidity levels low (no higher than 50%) throughout the day by using a dehumidifier.
  •  Ensuring your bathroom, laundry and kitchen are properly ventilated. Exhaust fans and clothes dryers should be vented outside your home.
  •  Promptly fix any leaks in your roof or walls, or around pipes or windows, to keep mold from growing.
  •  Thoroughly clean and dry areas after flooding, preferably within 24 to 48 hours. Get rid of carpets or upholstered furniture that becomes wet and can’t be promptly dried.
  •  Use mold-killing products to clean bathrooms.
  •  Install a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter on your central air conditioning unit to help trap mold spores and keep them from circulating in your home’s air.
  •  Have your air ducts cleaned by T. J.’s Chimney Service of Greenfield, IN.

Duct cleaning can help remove mold spores as well as dust, pet dander and other debris clogging your air ducts. While the Environmental Protection Agency says there’s not enough evidence to support the claim that duct cleaning can prevent asthma, it does recommend that you have your home’s air ducts cleaned if substantial visible mold is growing inside your ducts or on other parts of your heating and cooling system. Contact T.J.’s Chimney Service to schedule your air duct cleaning appointment today.

Filed Under: Cleaning

How to Prevent Creosote Buildup

by TJ Robinson Leave a Comment

According to the National Fire Protection Association, creosote buildup is the cause for most fireplace and chimney fires. Creosote buildup can be pretty sneaky since it occurs over time and you may not notice it. But there are some things you can do to minimize creosote buildup to help keep your family safe. (Unfortunately, you can’t eliminate creosote entirely.)

  •  Never burn unseasoned firewood. Only burn wood that’s been allowed to dry in an open outside area for 6 to 12 months before you use it in your fireplace. Unseasoned firewood contains water which causes steam to form as you burn it. The steam cools your chimney, causing the smoke or gases in the fire to condense and creosote to form. Use a moisture meter to help you determine if your firewood is ready for burning. Test the inside of the log which holds moisture longer than the outside.
  •  Don’t burn artificial logs in your fireplace. These packaged logs create a lot of combustion gases which can leave creosote deposits inside your flue.
  •  Burn hot fires rather than slow-burning, smoldering fires. When starting a fire, arrange the firewood with modest gaps in between the logs for better airflow and a cleaner burn. Don’t close glass or ceramic fireplace doors too soon before the fire is burning hotly. Shut doors can restrict air flow which can lead to creosote deposits on the inner walls of your flue. So keep your doors open for better air flow.
  •  Warm your flue before you build a fire if your chimney is made of metal or on an outside wall of your home since it will likely be colder due to colder outside temperatures. Roll up a piece of newspaper, light it and hold it under the open damper until you feel the air getting warmer and the draft reserve. A cooler flue can lead to poor combustion and a greater amount of creosote buildup.
  •  If you have an older fireplace insert that’s vented into a masonry chimney, have a chimney professional, like those at T.J.’s Chimney Service, inspect your flue to make sure it’s sized correctly. Flues that are too large can cause smoke to hang around in the chimney longer than it needs to, leading to creosote buildup.
  •  Contact T. J’s Chimney Service and schedule an annual chimney inspection and cleaning. While you could buy chimney brushes and clean your chimney yourself, it can be a time-consuming and dirty task. Plus, you may not be sure you cleaned your chimney thoroughly enough. So hire a professional to do it from the get-go. You’ll be glad you did. Because not only will you save the life of your chimney, you’ll be saving the lives of your family from a potential house fire.

Filed Under: Cleaning

8 Steps for Starting a Safe Fire

by TJ Robinson Leave a Comment

wood-fire-402202_1280Most people probably think starting a fire in their fireplace or wood-burning stove should be a pretty easy task. But if you don’t start your fire correctly, you could end up with a room full of smoke. Therefore, here is a recommended method for getting your fire going, so you can enjoy the comforts of a cozy fire in no time.

1. Remove any ashes from your fireplace or stove first. You should always let any fire cool completely before you sweep up the ashes – to be safe, let the ashes cool for up to a day. Sweep the ashes and coals into a metal bucket – never a plastic garbage can or bag. Take the bucket outside, away from your house. Let the ashes sit for another day to ensure all the embers have died before disposing of them. Ashes are a wonderful fertilizer for flowers, so sprinkled them in your garden.

2. Crumble single sheets of newspaper into balls and place them on top of the grate or in between the andirons, the horizontal iron bars. Don’t use any newspaper printed with colored inks since it can leave a flammable residue in your chimney. Place strips of newspaper on top of crumpled newspaper balls. Or, you can use other tinder options, like birch bark, dried corncobs, dried pinecones or Applewood chips. Tinder helps to ignite the kindling.

3. Place kindling, like pine or birch twigs, on top of the crumpled newspaper in a crisscross pattern. You’ll need around a dozen sticks. Make sure to leave some spaces between the twigs so air can circulate. In place of kindling, you may want to use a manufactured firestarter.

4. Arrange a few thin, split logs loosely on top of the tinder and kindling. Make sure your firewood is thoroughly seasoned. If you’re not sure whether you should use soft or hardwoods, refer to this blog post.

5. Open the damper on your fireplace or stove fully.

6. Light the tinder with a long match.

7. Add a few medium-sized logs to the fire once it’s burning steadily. However, don’t overfeed the fire. You don’t want too many logs, otherwise you could smother the fire or cause it to blaze out of control. Plus, you want to make sure air can get in between the logs, so the fire can breathe.

8. Shut the fire screen and enjoy the ambiance.

At least once a year, you should hire a chimney sweeping company, like T. J.’s Chimney Service, to professionally clean your fireplace or stove and flue. Otherwise, harmful creosote can build up on the inner surfaces of your flue walls. Creosote, a highly flammable material, is the cause of many disastrous house fires. Contact T. J.’s Chimney Service at 317-455-5310 to schedule your chimney inspection and cleaning today for peace of mind.

Filed Under: Fireplace, Safety

Problems Caused by Frozen Dryer Vents

by TJ Robinson Leave a Comment

snow covered houseHow often do you check your outside dryer vent during the winter? If you’re like most people, you probably said, “Never.” However, during the winter, your dryer vent flapper can freeze shut due to rain and falling temperatures. Or, snow can pile up around your outside dryer vent. When you run your dryer, the snow will melt. Once the dryer shuts off, the water will refreeze the louvers shut.

Your dryer vent plays an essential role in drying your clothes. It helps expel hot air and moisture from the dryer to the outdoors. If you didn’t have a dryer vent, all the hot air and moisture would end up in your home where it could cause wood rot and mold growth among other issues.

During the winter, if your dryer vent flapper were to freeze shut, the following problems could occur:

Your dryer wouldn’t operate properly. You may find that it takes longer to dry your clothes. Your clothing may feel hotter than usual at the end of the drying cycle. Or, your dryer may shut off before the end of its cycle.

Airflow to your dryer would be reduced. When your dryer’s vent flapper can’t open properly, fresh air can’t get into your dryer. Therefore, your dryer wouldn’t work properly and could overheat, leading to a home fire. About 20,000 dryer fires occur in the United States each year. And 32% of these fires are due to a malfunction like frozen vents.

Lint can build up inside your dryer. Lint buildup can cause your dryer to overheat and eventually catch fire. Some signs of excess lint are lint buildup inside and outside your dryer and lint blowing out into the room.

If you have a gas dryer, you and your family could become sick – or even die – from carbon monoxide poisoning. Carbon monoxide is a toxic gas that’s produced when natural gas is burned. When your vent is blocked, carbon monoxide can escape into your home.

If you find that your dryer vent has frozen shut, a simple solution is to use a hair dryer to melt the snow and ice. Wipe each louver dry with a cloth. Apply a thin layer of petroleum jelly to the inside lower edge of each louver with your finger. The petroleum jelly will help prevent the louvers from freezing together and cause water to flow away from the edges.

As a long-term solution to make sure your dryer continues to operate efficiently, contact T.J.’s Chimney Service and have your dryer vents thoroughly inspected and cleaned. Each year about 32% of home fires are caused by the homeowner’s failure to properly clean their dryer. So reduce your risk of a dryer fire by having your vents professionally serviced by T.J.’s Chimney Service.

Filed Under: Dryer Vent

Pros and Cons of Soft vs. Hardwoods

by TJ Robinson Leave a Comment

fire-605585_1280Did you know that the density of your firewood can determine how long your fire will burn and how much heat it gives off? The wood from different types of trees can vary widely in how much heat the wood produces, how the fire will burn and the overall fire quality. When you know more about soft and hardwoods, you can choose the right type of firewood for a perfect fire in your fireplace or wood-burning stove.

Some terms you need to know when it comes to firewood and burn quality include:

  • Density – dry weight of the wood per unit volume.
  • Green weight – the weight (in pounds) of a cord of freshly cut or green wood before it’s dried.
  • BTU – A British Thermal Unit is a standard measurement used to state the amount of energy that a fuel releases. (One BTU is the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit.)
  • Coaling – When wood burns down to form long-lasting coals of burning wood. Long-lasting coals are especially good for use in wood-burning stoves since the fire can burn for a longer period.

Softwoods

Softwoods refer to conifers or evergreens, such as firs, pines, cedars and spruces. Generally, softwoods aren’t as dense as hardwoods.

The benefits of burning softwoods are:

  • They’re easier to ignite since they contain resin.
  • They typically burn cleaner.
  • They tend to burn more rapidly with a high, hot flame.
  • They may produce a pleasant scent when burned.

The disadvantages of softwoods are:

  • They produce a sticky sap that get on your fingers and clothes, and can gum up stove pipes.
  • They burn out quickly, requiring more frequent attention.
  • They produce more popping and sparks due to trapped moisture, which can lead to potential house fires.

Hardwoods

Hardwoods refer to deciduous trees or those that shed leaves. A cord of seasoned hardwood is generally denser, weighing twice as much as a cord of seasoned softwood.

The advantages of burning hardwoods are:

  • They burn longer than softwoods, reducing your fuel costs
  • They produce twice as much heat compared to softwoods since they’re denser.
  • They produce more long-lasting coals.
  • Wood from fruit or nut-bearing trees produce a sweet-smelling aroma

A con of hardwoods is they’re more difficult to ignite when starting a fire.

To determine, which type of wood may be best for your fire, refer to this guide from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry. Just make sure you burn seasoned firewood that has been stored in a dry place for at least six months.

Regardless of which type of wood you use in your fireplace or wood-burning stove, the professionals at T.J.’s Chimney Service, located in Greenfield, IN, recommend that you have your fireplace or wood-burning stove inspected and cleaned at least once a year to ensure they’re in good-working condition and to reduce your risk of a chimney fire. Contact T.J.’s Chimney Service to schedule your inspection today.

Filed Under: Fireplace

5 Benefits of Wood-Burning Stoves

by TJ Robinson Leave a Comment

fireplace-195296_1280Wood-burning stoves used to be a mainstay in American homes and are still used in many homes today for heating. However, newer technologies have made wood-burning stoves more energy efficient and cleaner burning than they used be.

If you’re considering installing a wood-burning stove, but are still on the fence about it, here are some of the advantages you’ll gain by owning a wood-burning stove.

  1. You’ll save money. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), today’s wood-burning stoves are up to 80% efficient. And a wood-burning stove can help reduce your heating bills since wood costs less than natural gas, electricity or oil. However, the EPA recommends that you use your stove to supplement an existing heat source like an electric or gas furnace. A wood stove can heat 400 to 3,000 square feet, depending on the stove’s size and your home’s layout. For example, a stove that’s rated at 42,000 BTUs can heat up to 1,300 square feet.
  1. Your family will be warmer. While your central heating system is supposed to keep you warm, it often doesn’t. The radiant warmth from a wood-burning stove will keep your family more comfortable during those cold winter months.
  1. Wood-burning stoves are environmentally friendly. Wood is a “green” fuel alternative since trees are a sustainable, renewable resource. While some communities may restrict the use of wood-heating appliances due to unacceptable air quality levels, newer wood-burning stoves with low emission technologies clean exhaust gases, so they generate less smoke with fewer particle emissions. In fact, EPA-certified, wood-burning stoves emit fewer fine particles compared to fireplaces and older wood-burning stoves, according to the EPA.
  1. Wood-burning stoves provide heat during power outages. If you have a wood-burning stove, you don’t have to worry about not having heat if your electricity or natural gas goes out during a winter storm. Plus, you can also cook on your stove.
  1. Wood-burning stoves make a beautiful addition to any home. On cold winter evenings, a wood-burning fire makes any room more appealing. Since wood-burning stoves come in a variety of different shapes, sizes, colors and styles, there’s a stove that will fit your home’s décor.

As you can see there are many benefits to owning a wood-burning stove. If you’re looking to buy a wood-burning stove for your home, come visit the showroom at T.J.’s Chimney Service in Greenfield, IN, to see our samples. Once you’ve picked the perfect wood-burning stove, our professionals can install your stove, ensuring it operates properly to keep your family warm, comfortable and safe. For more information about T.J.’s Chimney Service, contact us today.

Filed Under: Wood Burning Stoves

4 Causes of Creosote Buildup

by TJ Robinson Leave a Comment

Have you noticed smoke flooding into your home when burning a fire in your fireplace or wood stove? Or maybe you’ve noticed that bits of debris have fallen from the flue into your fireplace or stove? These are signs you have a creosote buildup on the inside of your chimney flue.

Creosote is a black or brown residue that sticks to the inner walls of your chimney or stove pipes. In texture, it can appear crusty or flaky, drippy and sticky like tar, or shiny and hardened to the surface. But whatever its appearance, creosote is highly combustible. And it creates a serious fire risk.

Certain conditions that can cause creosote buildup include:

  1. Cool flue temperatures. When the temperature inside your flue is cooler than normal, smoke will condense, causing creosote form on the inner walls at an accelerated rate. Metal chimneys are very susceptible to creosote buildup. Their light sheet metal construction helps to keep the interior flue temperature abnormally cool. Also the location of the chimney can affect the interior temperature. A chimney on an exterior wall can be affected by outside cooler temperatures while a chimney located on an interior wall is usually warmer.
  1. An oversized flue. If your home has an older fireplace insert or a hearth-mounted stove that’s vented into a masonry chimney, chances are, your flue is too large to support the fireplace insert or stove. So the smoke from a fire can hang around in the chimney for a longer time (called residence time), leading to creosote buildup.
  1. Restricted air flow. Not only does an oversized flue confine air supply in a chimney, but closing the glass doors on a fireplace or stove too tightly, or failing to open the chimney’s dampers wide enough can hamper the amount of air flow in your chimney. In these conditions, the restricted air flow prevents the smoke from leaving and increases its residence time. Again, enabling creosote buildup.
  1. Use of unseasoned firewood. Firewood that’s unseasoned or dried insufficiently contains water. When unseasoned firewood is burned, it creates less heat because most of the fire’s energy is used to burn away the moisture. Since the fire is cooler, the smoke condenses quickly, forming creosote on the flue’s surface.

While you could try to remove any creosote yourself, it can be a messy, dirty job. And if the creosote is hardened to your flue’s surface, it’s best to have a professional clean it. So, hire a professional chimney sweep, like T.J.’s Chimney Service, to inspect and clean your flue in the first place. You’ll save yourself time and guarantee that your flue is thoroughly cleaned. Call T.J.’s Chimney Service at 317-455-5310 to schedule your chimney inspection and cleaning today.

 

Filed Under: Safety

Why You Shouldn’t Burn Your Christmas Tree in Your Fireplace

by TJ Robinson Leave a Comment

After the holidays, it’s time to take down the Christmas tree, pack up the lights and decorations, and return your home’s décor back to the way it was. While you likely have a location to store all of your decorations, what do you do with a REAL Christmas tree after the holidays?

Unless you bought a potted live tree that you can plant in your yard later, a cut, dried-out Christmas tree can be a dilemma. If you have a wood-burning fireplace or stove, you may think, “I’ll just burn it.” But don’t!

Here are some reasons that burning your Christmas tree in your fireplace or stove is a bad idea:

  • The dried needles can burn in a flash, causing a fierce fire. The needles can produce sparks that can fly into your room setting your rugs, furniture and other décor on fire. Sparks can also go up the chimney, setting your roof or landscaping on fire.
  • Firs, pines and spruces, which are some of the more popular Christmas tree varieties, all have a high sap content that can burn very quickly and explosively. These small explosions can cause items inside and outside your home to catch fire – including your chimney flue.
  • Since a dry Christmas tree can burn faster than expected, the fire can be difficult to control. To see how flammable a dry Christmas tree can be, watch this video produced by the National Fire Protection Association.
  • The wood from firs, pines and spruces can produce a lot of creosote, causing a buildup on chimney walls.
  • Burning a Christmas tree in a fireplace or stove with a dirty flue can cause any creosote deposits to ignite, resulting in a flue fire.
  • Because of the rapid nature of a Christmas tree fire, smoke can pour out of your fireplace with no warning, filling your home and damaging your belongings.
  • The fire from a burning Christmas tree can burn so hot that it can damage your firebox, chimney and/or flue, resulting in expensive repairs.

Therefore, the best advice the experts at T.J.’s Chimney Service can give you, is to never burn any part of your Christmas tree in your fireplace or stove for your safety. Also, make sure you have your fireplace and stove professionally cleaned and inspected by our chimney sweeps, too, to prevent flue-related fires. The Chimney Safety Institute of America recommends that you have your flues cleaned at least once a year to remove soot, creosote buildup and debris. Contact T.J.’s Chimney Service to schedule your appointment today.

 

Filed Under: Fireplace, Safety

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