Question 1

Why is it important to inspect and clean oil chimney flues and gas chimney flues annually?

Accepted Answer

The chimney flue serves as the pathway for harmful gases to exit your home safely. When cracks, holes, or blockages develop in the flue, dangerous carbon monoxide or soot can leak into your living space. The National Fire Protection Association recommends annual inspections of oil and gas furnace flues to confirm proper draft, effective venting of soot and fumes, and to verify that no obstructions are present in the flue system.

Question 2

What does a chimney sweep determine from inspecting my chimney? Is this inspection necessary?

Accepted Answer

To appreciate what gets examined during a chimney inspection, it helps to understand what occurs inside your chimney. Your furnace exhausts into the chimney, and if this pathway becomes blocked with debris, carbon monoxide and soot will enter your home instead of safely venting outside. This creates a serious hazard for you and your family.

The debris that builds up in your chimney comes from the continuous breakdown and deterioration of the internal passageway connected to your furnace. This passageway consists of terracotta tiles arranged in a column to channel exhaust gases. Over time, the exhaust-which contains sulfur and water-erodes the surface of these terracotta tiles, causing an ongoing shedding process. The resulting debris then collects at the base of the chimney or in the bends of the chimney column. This shedding and buildup requires annual monitoring by a qualified chimney technician. Neglecting this maintenance puts your furnace chimney and your home at risk of a carbon monoxide blockage.

Additionally, as your chimney ages, its 5/8" thick liner can deteriorate to the point where partial or complete sections of tile collapse, causing obstructions and creating holes or cracks in the exhaust column. This allows gases to seep into your home's living areas. When this happens, you may need to replace the liner with stainless steel. Your chimney technician tracks this aging process to protect your chimney, your home, and your family.

Lastly, if your chimney was constructed before 1900, it likely has no tile column. This is known as an unlined chimney and should be relined with a stainless steel chimney liner.

Question 3

At what age does a chimney begin to deteriorate?

Accepted Answer

Our technicians have found flaking tiles and misaligned flue tiles in homes as young as ten years old.

Question 4

What factors can accelerate the deterioration of a furnace chimney flue?

Accepted Answer

Gas heat: The elevated volume of water vapor in gas heat exhaust speeds up deterioration.
An adjacent laundry room: Vapors from chlorine and other cleaning agents can enter the chimney through the combustion chamber of the furnace, the draft hood of heating equipment, or the draft regulator on the smoke pipe.
A nearby workshop: Similarly, vapors from solvents can be drawn into the chimney liner.

Question 5

What is the best way to fix the lining of a chimney flue?

Accepted Answer

Terracotta is highly susceptible to the elements, whereas stainless steel offers corrosion resistance. For this reason, we recommend a stainless steel chimney liner as the optimal solution. We provide a stainless steel, single-piece tubular flexible pipe that can be installed inside the existing terracotta tiles in your chimney. Because smoke rises in a circular pattern, a circular flue drafts smoke more effectively. Furthermore, using a single piece of tubing rather than multiple components reduces the potential for leakage or deterioration.

Question 6

What is leaking from my chimney, and what should I do?

Accepted Answer

Rain leaking into the fireplace or through a basement cleanout door is a frequent issue. Installing a chimney cap is the first line of defense and resolves 90% of chimney-related water problems. Chimney caps also provide protection against animal intrusion.

Some water issues can be more stubborn, and a chimney cap alone may not be sufficient. There are a few additional considerations:

Chimney crowns: Have your chimney technician evaluate the condition of the chimney crown before installing a chimney cap. The chimney crown is the cement slab the chimney mason places over the bricks at the top of the chimney. This crown may develop cracks that permit water to enter. These cracks can be sealed with a product called crown seal.
Waterproofing: Another defense against water penetration is to have the chimney waterproofed with a water-repellent product called chimney saver.

Question 7

How do I build a good fire in my fireplace?

Accepted Answer

Fire building tips for new owners

Keep a fire extinguisher nearby.
Open the damper fully.
Light one piece of newspaper and hold it up to the damper, repeating this process until all smoke is exiting through the chimney.
Place starter wood or kindling on 6 rolled-up pieces of newspaper and have several additional pieces of newspaper rolled up in reserve.
Take 3 pieces of rolled-up newspaper and preheat the chimney by holding the burning paper above the starter wood, then drop it on the wood as it burns.
Cracking a window on the same level or below will help improve the fire's draft at the start. Easterly windows typically work best, and make sure you feel cold air flowing in.

Other important tips for first-time users

Don't use artificial logs on the first fire until step 3 above is successful.
When you feel cold air coming down through the damper, refer to steps 3 & 6 above.
Don't add large pieces of wood to the fire until you've established a good bed of coals.
Don't leave the fire unattended during the first 30 minutes.
Don't place wet or unseasoned wood on the fire.
Make sure when you add a large piece of wood to the fire, it begins to combust completely.

*Please call (781) 512-8032 if you're still having difficulty building a fire*

Question 8

What do I do if my chimney is smoking or smells?

Accepted Answer

Smelly fireplaces are common when the weather is damp and humid, and a low-pressure system has moved into the area. These issues tend to occur in late fall and early spring because the temperature difference between the outside air and inside air isn't as pronounced as it is during winter.

Some solutions to this issue include:

Ensuring that your chimney is clean.
Using your home's windows to reverse the pressure coming down the chimney. The most effective windows to use are those on the windy side of the home. Basement windows also work well because they're loaded with pressure. You should crack the window about a quarter of an inch, then wait several hours to see if it makes a difference. Continue trying different windows until you find the one that works best. Essentially, you're relieving the pressure in your home while bringing in fresh air.

For a guaranteed solution to these issues, you can have an Enervex chimney fan installed on your chimney.

Question 9

What do I do if my basement fireplace is smoking?

Accepted Answer

Basement fireplaces often become smoky when the upstairs fireplace is in use. This issue is most common in homes built with exterior chimneys after the 1960s-especially in raised ranch, cape, and colonial-style homes.

This smokiness happens when the basement fireplace flue pulls smoke from the top of the chimney and draws it down to the basement.

To address this issue, make sure your basement fireplace damper is closed. The best solution is to crack a basement window about a quarter of an inch when using your upstairs fireplace. Essentially, the upstairs fireplace begins searching for makeup air as soon as you open the damper. If the basement window is cracked, the upstairs fireplace will ideally get its makeup air through that window rather than through the leaky damper in the basement. If you're not planning to use the basement fireplace, you can install a temporary seal on top to prevent smoke from coming down the chimney and into the room.

Keep in mind that sealing dampers work approximately 50% of the time but aren't guaranteed to solve this problem. Chimney caps can sometimes make this issue worse. Another effective option is to extend the upstairs fireplace flue tile on the top of the chimney by an additional 12-24".

Question 10

Ash pits: to clean or not to clean?

Accepted Answer

We don't recommend using ash pits-there's a simpler method to handle the ash.

Each year, at the end of the burning season, remove the ash from your fireplace. To do so:

Open the damper so the dust rises out of the chimney.
Confirm that there are no hot embers.
Using several paper bags, shovel the ash into the bags and roll them closed.
Place these bags in your trash.
Leave a small amount of ash under the grate to serve as an ash bed for your fire next season.

Please note: this shouldn't be done on windy days. You can also leave this task to us. Each year during our annual spring cleaning, we reduce our prices by 33%.

If you choose to use your ash pit, you'll be creating a more difficult removal process. Most often, people don't have their ash pits cleaned out until they're full, and in most cases the ash pit is the size of a telephone booth. Removing that quantity of ash is time-consuming and expensive. If you can manage without an ash pit, there really isn't a reason to clean it out-and a full ash pit doesn't create a safety issue.

If you do request a cleaning of the ash pit, we can't provide an accurate price until we visit your home and assess how full your ash pit is.

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