1. A Chimney Cap is the least expensive single investment to protect your chimney. It channels the rain away from your chimney and on to the roof. It also keeps birds, rodents and other uninvited guests out of your chimney.
2. Chimneys should be swept once a year if used frequently.  If you only build a fire occasionally, get it cleaned after about 100 fires.
3. Most dampers are in the open position when the lever is pulled toward you.  You may or may not hear anything.
4. Smoke in your house and not up the chimney, first check to see if the damper is open.
5. The second cause of poor drafting (a smoky  room) is a dirty chimney.  If you are noticing more smoke now then ever before when you light a fire, get your chimney swept.
6. The majority of gas log keys come in two sizes.  Fireplace stores carry both sizes.  If you are not sure which size, buy the “two in one” size.
7. If you have gas logs in your fireplace, it is wise to have at least one Carbon Monoxide detector in the same room as the fireplace.
8. Fireplaces are strong.  They hold the entire weight of the chimney on their shoulders.
9. The grate inside your fireplace should be no wider than the width of the back wall of the fireplace.  It should sit about 2 inches from the back wall.  Positioning the grate inside your fireplace too close to the front will cause the fireplace to smoke.
10. Build the fire to fit your fireplace.  The bigger the fireplace is, the bigger the fire can be.  The smaller the fireplace is, the smaller the fire must be.
11. Do not water your chimney.  Move the sprinklers so they are not spaying water on the chimney.  This can cause water damage to the interior of the house.
12. Do not allow any water to pool next to your chimney or foundation.
13. Trim ivy away from your chimney.  Ivy will go anywhere it can, including down your chimney.  This can damage the inside of the chimney and is a fire hazard.
14. Bricks are as porous as a sponge.  But they are a lot harder to squeeze.  The water in the brick must have a chance to evaporate.  Make sure water drains away from your chimney and doesn’t pool.
15. The inside of your fireplace is ugly?  Paint it, but make sure to get high temperature paint.  Some paints in contact with high heat can let off toxic fumes. Ask before you buy.
16. The flue is a pipe made of clay tiles or metal that goes up the middle of the chimney. The purpose is to move smoke, ash, heat and gases up away from the fireplace and into the outside atmosphere safely.
17. A damper has two purposes.  When shut is to keep the outside air out and inside heat and air conditioning in.  When open is to allow smoke, ash, heat and gases to move up the flue outside safely.
18. Glass doors were designed for energy efficiency.  They are a good idea.  Glass doors should be shut when you are not burning a fire.
19. A fireplace screen is a necessary safety feature for every working fireplace. You can’t predict when a spark will fly out into the room.  Fireplace screens keep clothes such as woman’s flowing skirts from being sucked into the fire.
20. When you have gas logs, you must have the damper clamped open at all times. Keep the glass doors of your fireplace closed when not in use for energy efficiency.

Tags: Add new tag | boston brick | carbon monoxide | chimney inspections | dampers | fireplace drafting | fireplace safety | fires | gas log fireplaces | rain caps

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 25th, 2010 in the Chimney Tips, Real Estate section. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.