Blog

The chances of an actual Santa Claus visiting your home and sliding down your chimney on Christmas Eve this year are pretty slim. But if you take care of your chimney with the idea that Santa will, in fact, visit, you’ll be doing the exact things necessary to ensure a very safe and high-performing chimney. […] Read more

Here are a few quick tips on getting the most out of your fireplace, stove or fireplace insert.  Open Masonry Fireplaces Traditional masonry fireplaces bring wonderful ambience to a home, but they’re not high-powered heat producers. If you have one of these fireplaces and want to increase its heat production, you have a few options. […] Read more

The fact that there’s such a product as chimney-cleaning logs tells you that cleaning built-up creosote out of chimneys is an important job. Chimney-cleaning logs are burned like any other logs but have special ingredients that are said to remove creosote. Sounds easy and simple. But do the logs actually work? Look for CSIA-approval Just […] Read more

If you’ve just had a new fireplace built or installed, or if you’ve just moved into a home with a fireplace already in it, you’re in for some enjoyable times in the years ahead. Make them more enjoyable by following these tips for first-time fireplace use and use from then on. Ensure that the chimney […] Read more

Just to look at it, you wouldn’t think a chimney is all that complicated. It’s just a brick-housed channel for smoke to go up, right? Well, partially right. The fact is, a chimney system contains many parts and components that must work properly to prevent water and other types of damage including fires. Here are […] Read more

A CSIA-certified chimney sweep is your best friend when it comes to keeping your chimney safe and ensuring that it operates the way it’s supposed to. Next time you have a chimney cleaning visit scheduled, here are a few things you can do ahead of time to make the job as simple, mess-free and productive […] Read more

The ideal chimney inspection turns up no problems, and the chimney inspector gives it a complete bill of health. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Many things can happen to a chimney over time, especially one that’s used regularly. Here are some chimney issues inspectors often uncover during routine chimney inspections. Leaky chimney Chimney leaks […] Read more

As southern New Hampshire gets ready for another unpredictable winter with its ice storms and blizzards and sub-zero weather, the fall is a good time to make sure your chimney is ready to perform predictably to get you through the season safely. Here’s a checklist of “must-do’s” for your chimney and fireplace this fall. Visually […] Read more

White staining, or efflorescence, is caused when excess moisture within the chimney structure seeps through the bricks and evaporates on their outer surfaces. The white discoloration is caused by naturally occurring salts that have been washed out of the bricks. You may read that description and say, “Okay, that explains that.” But it actually only […] Read more

Every part of the chimney system has an important job that helps the chimney vent the fireplace properly and last as long as it should. The biggest culprit shortening the lives of chimneys across the country is water. Rainwater, snow, ice, and even humidity in the air can damage the chimney system. According to the […] Read more