- The daily life of a Chimney Sweep
- What the heck are Aldehydes?
- The importance of hiring a experienced chimney sweep
- One option for a fireplace that has seen better days
- The potential hazards of new construction
- Tip of the day – Pooling water
- Potential hazards of older homes
- Attic dangers
- Inspection of the day – Active water intrusion
- Fireplaces in vacation rentals – are they safe?
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Keep up to date with Jacksonville Chimney Pros News & Tips
When is the best time to have your chimney swept?
The most popular time of the year in Florida to have a chimney sweep is in the Fall and before the holidays. As the holidays get closer, the demand increases even more to the point where it is tough to find any sweep available before January. This can be an issue because the best sweeps typically book up early in the Fall and by the time you go down the line you might end up with someone who is less than qualified to perform the...
The daily battle for a chimney sweep, staying clean
Staying safe is a constant concern for a chimney sweep. Not only are we on roofs, in attics, and crawl spaces, we also have to worry about the hazardous long-term effects of creosote to our bodies and prevent inhalation and interaction as much as possible. Creosote is a natural byproduct of combustion but it comes with a nasty side effect for humans with long-term exposure to it, cancer. Skin cancer, lung cancer, and testicular cancer...
Inspection of the day – gas fireplace troubles
With the addition of my home inspection background, I have seen a few occasions where after closing the sellers take what they can out of a house and even swap out the appliances! During my chimney inspection today, the same situation occurred and the sellers even took the decorative logs from the fireplace 😢. My best recommendation on that end would be to hire a home inspector that is very thorough and also uses a program called...
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One option for a fireplace that has seen better days
Sometimes the elements win the battle against a fireplace, especially ones that have gone several years without maintenance. The fireplace above was...
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The potential hazards of new construction
One concern I see on a regular basis is the lack of regulation with chimney installations, including new construction. For reference here is the...
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Tip of the day – Pooling water
Water intrusion can be a costly headache but avoided if caught in time. This morning I inspected a chimney system with pooling water and...
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Potential hazards of older homes
I love working on older systems, partially due to working on several hundred growing up and living in a home built in 1926. Older homes have amazing...
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Attic dangers
When inspecting a chimney system it is key to inspect the attic where the flue passes through. It may be extremely difficult to access for some...
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Inspection of the day – Active water intrusion
My first appointment today was a active water leak coming down from the pre-fabricated fireplace and onto the front tile and the new wood floors!...
The Chimney Safety Institute of America recommends that open masonry fireplaces should be swept at 1/8″ of sooty buildup, and sooner if there is any glaze present in the system. This is considered to be enough fuel buildup to cause a chimney fire capable of damaging the chimney or spreading to the home. Factory-built fireplaces should be swept when any appreciable buildup occurs. The logic is that the deposit is quite acidic and can shorten the life of the fireplace.
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