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Beware of the lower priced offer to clean your chimney. Anything below $150.00 for one flue cleaning could be
just a way for a high pressure chimney sweep company to invade your home and practically scare you into
fixing a chimney that might really not any work to begin with.
I went to a job recently inspected the chimney with gas heat, not a thing wrong with. It needed a cap so we
installed one.
He then showed me the other sweeps service slip. They told the customer the flue was falling apart. Even
showed them broken tile pieces. And then they took a bird out of the bottom of the flue supposedly.
In my experience a gas flue is was clean. The house was no more than 30yrs old and there was a clean out
door at the bottom. Is it possible that they could have had a bird in the chimney? Yes, but if there was as much
debris as the customer said they pulled out then the bird would have been dirty too. You do the research and
you will find that most of these companies are from New York. Hire a CSIA Certified Sweep and even further
hire one from the MA Chimney Sweep Guild www.mcsguild.org.
just a way for a high pressure chimney sweep company to invade your home and practically scare you into
fixing a chimney that might really not any work to begin with.
I went to a job recently inspected the chimney with gas heat, not a thing wrong with. It needed a cap so we
installed one.
He then showed me the other sweeps service slip. They told the customer the flue was falling apart. Even
showed them broken tile pieces. And then they took a bird out of the bottom of the flue supposedly.
In my experience a gas flue is was clean. The house was no more than 30yrs old and there was a clean out
door at the bottom. Is it possible that they could have had a bird in the chimney? Yes, but if there was as much
debris as the customer said they pulled out then the bird would have been dirty too. You do the research and
you will find that most of these companies are from New York. Hire a CSIA Certified Sweep and even further
hire one from the MA Chimney Sweep Guild www.mcsguild.org.
Now comes the summer.
The temp goes up the roof will get really hot. The humidity rises and with comes what we call a cold
chimney. I have run into many a home during this time of year and have experienced nothing but down
drafts.
Why does this happen?
It has to do with the air pressure in a house. The hot humid air is bearing down on your home and inside it's
nice a cool because you have turned on the AC and house is staying cool. What is happening with this is
the simple rule cold air falls heat rises. The air in the chimney stays relatively cool and does not move in an
upward direction because the air out side is much warmer or even hotter. The heat in the attic is escaping
through what ever ventilation there is on the roof. The air that leaves the house needs to be replaced, most
central air systems circulate the inside air unless you have a fresh air recovery system.
If the chimney has not been cleaned in the spring, this could cause an unpleasant odor in the room where
the fireplace is. The creosote build up has a distinct smell and will get drawn down into the living quarters
during these conditions. A top mounted damper my help reduce the situation but it's not always the solve all
for this issue. A clean chimney is the best option in this situation.
The temp goes up the roof will get really hot. The humidity rises and with comes what we call a cold
chimney. I have run into many a home during this time of year and have experienced nothing but down
drafts.
Why does this happen?
It has to do with the air pressure in a house. The hot humid air is bearing down on your home and inside it's
nice a cool because you have turned on the AC and house is staying cool. What is happening with this is
the simple rule cold air falls heat rises. The air in the chimney stays relatively cool and does not move in an
upward direction because the air out side is much warmer or even hotter. The heat in the attic is escaping
through what ever ventilation there is on the roof. The air that leaves the house needs to be replaced, most
central air systems circulate the inside air unless you have a fresh air recovery system.
If the chimney has not been cleaned in the spring, this could cause an unpleasant odor in the room where
the fireplace is. The creosote build up has a distinct smell and will get drawn down into the living quarters
during these conditions. A top mounted damper my help reduce the situation but it's not always the solve all
for this issue. A clean chimney is the best option in this situation.
Get ready for the fall
The summer will end before we know it and we need to get ready for the heating system and other
methods of heating and entertainment. The fall is historically the busiest time of year for a chimney sweep
and all we can do is try to keep up with the demand. I look forward to the cooler days where I won't be
working in a pool of sweat. I look forward to seeing my customers kids getting older the dog remembering
me from the year before and to see how well or not so well the system has been performing.
With the new licenses I will be soon be holding I hope to be more free to suggest and install appliances to
better save and be more green in this day and age. I would have to say wood stoves and pellet stove are
in more homes than years past. We will be able to install the systems properly but with all the legal worries
out your hands as well. Look forward to a very fruitful fall this year see you all there.
The summer will end before we know it and we need to get ready for the heating system and other
methods of heating and entertainment. The fall is historically the busiest time of year for a chimney sweep
and all we can do is try to keep up with the demand. I look forward to the cooler days where I won't be
working in a pool of sweat. I look forward to seeing my customers kids getting older the dog remembering
me from the year before and to see how well or not so well the system has been performing.
With the new licenses I will be soon be holding I hope to be more free to suggest and install appliances to
better save and be more green in this day and age. I would have to say wood stoves and pellet stove are
in more homes than years past. We will be able to install the systems properly but with all the legal worries
out your hands as well. Look forward to a very fruitful fall this year see you all there.