5 Reasons Why You Should Clean Your Chimney

Do you have a fireplace? Spring is a great time to schedule a professional chimney sweep. Discover the top five reasons why by reading on. No More Risk of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Carbon monoxide is a colorless gas. It’s dangerous

Why flue tiles crack and how to repair them

No matter whether your chimney vents a fireplace, wood stove or furnace, it likely contains a section of terra cotta flue tiles linked together to form the chimney lining. This flue liner should be well sealed to protect the efficiency

What is Creosote?

What is Creosote? Creosote is a sticky, highly flammable substance that is a natural byproduct of chimney smoke. Creosote builds up inside of chimneys over time. What Does Creosote Buildup In a Chimney Look Like (Stages Of Creosote) Stage 1 Creosote

What is an Electric Insert?

What is an Electric Insert? Discover the magic of modern warmth of electric fireplaces, how they work, their comfort and convenience, right here! Electric fireplace inserts have emerged as a popular and energy-efficient heating solution for homes and commercial spaces.

Quality Counts

There is a balance between price and quality of service. If you Google How much is a chimney cleaning?, you will find a price range between $85 – $356 for a chimney cleaning. A survey conducted with 16,000 nationwide homeowners

Alternative Home Heat Sources

The U.S. Tax Code will Reward You for Converting to a Wood Burning Insert

Animals need a comfortable place to shelter from predators and weather that’s too hot, cold, or rainy. Unfortunately, wild animals might choose your chimney as their safe place, which will make your home less safe for you.

7 Benefits of Having a Fireplace in Your Home

Preventing Animals from Entering Your Chimney

Smoking back

There are many fireplaces that seem to smoke back into the house no matter what is done. In our experience, the most common cause is that the fireplace simply needs to be cleaned. This is especially likely if the fireplace has gotten worse over time, that is, the smoking back is worse now than it used to be.

Several other possible causes of smoking back are problems with the damper, chimney cap, grate, firewood, or structural problems with the chimney itself. At Chimney Clean Company, we do a full inspection with every cleaning, or we can also do just the inspection if the chimney doesn’t need to be cleaned. This inspection is designed to reveal any causes of smoking back.

Broken chimneys

In the Bay Area, many chimneys were broken in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. Usually, these chimneys are broken at or near the roof line, although sometimes they can be broken further down, even at the ground level.

We are fully licensed masonry contractors. We rebuild broken chimneys. If they are broken at the roof line, this usually entails taking the chimney part of the way down brick by brick, installing steel reinforcing bars, getting an inspection from a city inspector, then rebuilding the chimney back up around the steel rebar.

Missing mortar or damaged bricks

Over time, many chimneys develop places that are missing mortar between bricks, or damaged bricks, either inside the firebox or on the outside of the chimney. These areas can usually be repaired, either by replacing the missing mortar or replacing the bricks themselves. Items such as these can be dangerous because they can allow flames, sparks or hot gases to enter the structure of the house.

Water entry

Sometimes the metal that seals the chimney at the roof, called “flashing”, will come loose or develop leaks. In this case, water sometimes comes into the ceiling of the room and causes water spots and stains on the sheet rock. This flashing should be repaired before the water causes more damage.