Chimneys Need Your Attention
A fireplace is a great source of entertainment, but it is not a heating system.
An unclean fireplace can ruin your home.
These pictures show a worse case scenario
Heavy Creosote in flue
This is a controlled chimney fire
the end result can be devastating
Without a chimney cap in place, birds, squirrels and raccoons can get into your chimney and
make their home.  These animals can prevent your chimney flue from venting properly and
making your house unpleasant to live in. Occasionally, animals will get down into the flue,
becoming trapped and die there. Squirrels are capable of blocking up a furnace flue so tight
that no exhaust can flow through causing it to vent into your house, which could result in
carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide poisoning.
These critters can make the house smell really bad when inside chimney
Most fire departments recommend installing a cap on
your chimney.
The exhaust from you heating system has a strong sulfur based soot.  Rain water and sulfur
mixed create sulfuric acid that eats away the masonry chimney liner.  
This is the begining stage of flaking tile caused by flue gases cooling down before exitng the top of the chimney
Today's high-efficiency furnaces are efficient, but they will vent a high acidic steam into the
chimney causing decay.  Therefore, Stainless steel liners are recommended.  
Water is one of the greatest foes of masonry construction.
With enough experiance we can even tell where the hardest weather comes from.
Masonry repairs can be very costly, but regular inspections and repairs will
keep that cost to a minimum.
With over 12 years experience we would love to
inspect your chimney today.
If you look closley you can see the squirrell
Flue tile should be 2 inches above top of chimney to keep water from running down inside. There also should be 4 inch space between flues whcih is rarely seen around here
The crown here is cracked and the bricks just below the crown are loose due to expansion
This flue is pitted due to rain and exhaust gasses mixing and sulfuric acid eating the chimney tile
The flue tile in this picture has collapsed causing a blockage
The crack in this tile is seen from looking up through the fieplace damper. Expansion and the contents in the flue could be a cause of this damage
The tile is comming apart in the smoke chamber cause dangerous CO2 to leak into the fireplace smoke chamber and possibly into the home.
Evidence of the flue gasses cooling off before they make it to the top of the chimney. Notice the cracked tile as well.
loose bricks at top of chimney
Before Repairs
after repairs
New crown Finished