What Is That Smell?

Have you ever been entertaining friends in your home or enjoying a quiet evening with your family and all of a sudden you get a whiff of an unpleasant odor but can’t pin point where it is coming from? Have you checked your fireplace? An odor can begin to build up for various reasons in…

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What Is Creosote and How To Prevent It

What is creosote really? Creosote is nothing more than unburned wood energy that condensates on the inner chimney surface.  The more you use your fireplace soot and creosote begins to coat and solidify on the surface and if not removed the layer grows deep enough to provide another fuel source for the fire. If any…

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Questions To Ask A Professional

Hiring a professional to help with home inspections or repairs can be nerve wracking. If you are hiring a professional for the first time you may be wondering what you can expect and what exactly they will have to do to complete a job. There is one very simple thing you can do to ease…

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How To Clean Brick Fireplaces

If you have a natural fireplace you may have noticed how the exterior bricks begin to darken the more you use your fireplace. It can cause your fireplace to look black and stained. This is natural if you build fires often but if taken care of properly and early enough the stains will not be…

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Is Smoke A Problem?

Is smoke a problem when you use your fireplace? There are many reasons why your fireplace can smoke and many of these reasons are easily fixed. One reason is that the damper may not be opening all the way. If this is the case call a professional and have them check and repair or replace…

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How To Make Your Fireplace More Efficient

Even though Spring is here you may still be using your fireplace to take the chill of, roast marshmallows, or to set the tone for a relaxing evening. Whatever your reasoning you are going to want your fireplace working at maximum levels. There are some things that you can do to improve the performance of…

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Levels of Inspection

With anything there are different levels of inspection or repairs depending on a need and the severity of a situation or condition of an object. It is no different with your home or fireplace. The Chimney Safety Institute of America describes three main levels of inspection to consider when having your fireplace inspected and checked…

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Which Is Better….Professional Service or DIY?

Now is the time when many homeowners are thinking about making home improvements. Money may also be a factor when deciding to make an improvement or not. Many may take the stance of tackling the project themselves in order to save some funds and prevent their savings from being depleted. There are many things to…

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Water Damage and Chimney Repairs

With the sort of weather we have been having it might be time to have your chimney inspected for water damage inside and outside of your chimney. If a cap has been removed there could be moisture buildup inside your fireplace. Debris from leaves and animals may also start to negatively affect your fireplace. Spring…

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Chim Chim Cher-Ee

There are times when I am preparing to clean a chimney I find myself humming the tune “Chim Chim Cher-Ee” from the ever so popular classic movie Marry Poppins. It is a very catchy song I just wish that I could sing and dance like Dick Van Dyke and all his chimney sweep friends. Who…

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