Water Damage and Your Chimney

Since your chimney faces a variety of elements all year round, it's best to contact certified chimney professionals to protect not only the chimney, but your entire house. Don't wait until water damages become severe, have your chimney inspected early to reveal and correct any damage.

During the winter months, a pattern of freeze and the thawing process can harm both the interior and exterior of your chimney. This can lead to water build up, structural problems, and possibly cause a dangerous gas to emit from the chimney. To avoid these expensive issues, waterproofing your home's chimney is best.

Before waterproofing a chimney, All Year ChimneySweeps and Repairs will repair any damage to insure a proper seal for lasting weather protection. In addition, adding chimney tops, clay chimney liner, or installing chimney liner will help protect your chimney from further water damage.

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Depending on the amount of damage, a chimney could be fixed with a small amount of mortar and/or grout sealer. For more profound damage, the chimney builders would need to exchange bricks and change the existing mortar in large sections. This will reinforce the integrity of the chimney and surrounding walls.

Once your chimney is repaired and waterproofing is completed, it is important to have a chimney sweep performed at least once a year. Preventing the buildup of soot, as well as checking for damages, will insure your chimney will last and last.  

You may be wondering how much does a chimney sweep cost, and that is a great question. Contact All Year Chimney Sweeps& Repair to schedule a cleaning of your chimney and or a free estimate. 

If you haven’t had your chimney cleaned yet this year, call All Year Chimney Sweeps & Repair, we’ll have your chimney clean and clear again before you know it! Call All Year Chimney Sweeps & Repair at (615) 285-9118 today! We look forward to serving you.

Hazards of a Dirty Chimney

Dirt is not good, especially when it builds up in your chimney. You may be asking about how to clean chimney, and the answer is as easy as a phone call to All Year Chimney Sweeps & Repair.

A chimney left uncleaned can cause all types of issues in your home and your family. Carbon Monoxide Poisoning is the number one issue arising from dirty chimneys. The recommendations for even the newest chimneys is an annual chimney sweeping. This yearly cleaning includes an inspection to detect other issues along with cleaning.

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A fireplace needs oxygen to burn completely. If the oxygen supply is cut off, carbon monoxide is the result. Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless dangerous gas. Always have a carbon monoxide detector on each floor, including the basement. This will warn your family if a leak is occurring, and save lives.

Creosote buildup is another problem to be concerned with as part of a dirty chimney. The wood-burning process is a natural process that creates creosote as a by-product of water vapors, smoke, tar, un-burned wood, hydrocarbon buildup, and gases. Creosote is a dangerous, highly combustible compound. A chimney fire can erupt if creosote is left to build up. All Year Chimney Sweeps & Repair can check your chimney for creosote and carbon monoxide to keep your family safe year round.

If there is an odor coming from the chimney, do not use it until you have contacted a chimney sweep for a professional evaluation and chimney cleaning. You may be wondering how much does a chimney sweep cost, and that is a solid question. Contact All Year Chimney Sweeps & Repair to schedule a cleaning of your chimney and or a free estimate. 

If you haven’t had your chimney cleaned yet this year, winter will be here sooner rather than later. Call All Year Chimney Sweeps & Repair. We’ll have your chimney clean and clear again before you know it! Call All Year Chimney Sweeps & Repair at (615) 285-9118 today! We look forward to serving you.

5 Fireplace Safety Precautions To Take Now

According to the National Fire Protection Association, during 2011, the last available statistics, there were around 53,600 United States home fires. This is 6%, down from 2010 and a 77% decrease from 1980. In order to reduce this number further, make sure your fireplace and chimney are in great shape. Contact All Year Chimney Sweeps and Repairs to help with this list.

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1. Clear the Area

The hearth may look great all decked out for the holidays, but those decorations are usually flammable. Hang garland and stockings as far away from the source of heat as possible.

2. Burn Smaller Fires

Although stoves burn the best when at its hottest, maintaining less smoke and no popping is the goal. Small fires lesson the creosote buildup in the chimney while an extremely hot fire can cause cracks in your chimney.

3. Burn Better Wood

Soft woods like fir and pine won't burn as long or give off a much heat as hickory or oak, the hardwoods. Be sure to allow all wood to dry for six months to a year before burning. When wood is green, the burning process causes more creosote filled smoke which is dangerous to you and your family. 

    

4. Hire a Professional

Have your chimney cleaned, swept, and inspected twice a year. You may be wondering 'how much does a chimney sweep cost' and the answer is less than a house fire. Chimney safety is always at the top of the list of home maintenance care.

5. Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors

Invest in good quality smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors to cap off the ultimate safety when using a fireplace. Install smoke alarms outside of each room on every floor and the carbon monoxide detectors on each floor.

If your chimney is in need of an inspection, or you haven’t had your chimney cleaned yet this year, call All Year Chimney Sweeps & Repair. We’ll have your chimney clean and clear again before you know it! Call All Year Chimney Sweeps & Repair at (615) 285-9118 today! We look forward to serving you.

5 Reason To Cap a Chimney

You want to protect your family, always. You know you need to keep your chimney clean and in working order, but did you know capping a chimney is another step towards safety in the home?

The fireplace chimney is part of the safety network that keeps your home and family protected. Chimney caps are not a requirement on chimneys in the state of Tennessee; however, chimney builders throughout the country recommend them as an additional safety measure.

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Debris - a chimney cap keeps debris like leaves, twigs, branches, and small trash out of your chimney. Debris that has fallen into your chimney can be hazardous when lighting a fire. Before building a chimney, be sure you contact certified chimney professionals like All Year Chimney Sweeps and Repairs.

Rainwater - water damage is a difficult problem when it comes to your home. This includes the chimney. A chimney cap will help prevent rainwater and melting snow from entering your chimney where it can become moldy and cause other damage.

Drafts - drafts are needed to keep your fire going without exploding into a large fireball. A chimney cap helps to create the proper draft within the chimney.

Animals - a chimney cap keeps birds, squirrels, chipmunks, and other climbing critters claiming your chimney as their warm home.

Chimney liner - having a professional installing chimney liner for added protection is ideal. Using a chimney cap will extend the life of a chimney liner.

If your chimney is in need of a cap, or you haven’t had your chimney cleaned yet this year, call All Year Chimney Sweeps & Repair. We’ll have your chimney clean and clear again before you know it! Call All Year Chimney Sweeps & Repair at (615) 285-9118 today! We look forward to serving you.

Safety Precautions for a Home Gas Fireplace

If you have or are thinking about having a gas fireplace installed in your home, there are a number of safety precautions you need to have in place. These precautionary measures will ensure your home and family remain safe.

ü Start by hiring experienced chimney builders. You need someone with extensive knowledge of propane tanks and gas lines. This is not a DIY type project.

ü Be sure your chimney pro collects the proper city and county building permits and advices you of any limitations. The experienced team at All Year Chimney Sweeps and Repairs will have all the building permits needed to begin your gas fireplace installation before starting the job.

 

 

 

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ü Even if your gas fireplace has a vent in it, the certified chimney professionals will install a sensor to monitor oxygen-depletion. This safety pilot will automatically shut the gas off if the temperatures within the fireplace becomes too cold or the discovery of carbon monoxide buildup is made.

ü Before firing up the first gas logs, have All Year Chimney Sweeps and Repairs professional chimneysweeps clean the chimney.

ü Have a carbon monoxide detector placed on each floor of your home. Although years of testing proves a gas fireplace will not increase the levels of carbon monoxide within a house. Any gas-operated appliances can give off carbon monoxide. Be sure to change the batteries two times a year, typically on Daylights Savings Day.

ü Be sure to have All Year Chimney Sweeps and Repairs clean and inspect your gas fireplace once a year.

If you haven’t had your chimney cleaned yet this year, winter will be here sooner rather than later. Call All Year Chimney Sweeps & Repair. We’ll have your chimney clean and clear again before you know it! Call All Year Chimney Sweeps & Repair at (615) 285-9118 today! We look forward to serving you.

What's That Smell?

Chimney crickets, what is that smell? If you don't have a pet dog or cat, or rowdy and rambunctious children to blame smells on, there could be an uninvited guest in your chimney. There are wired and sometimes dangerous smells lurking in your chimney and fireplace. 

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Before igniting your fireplace for cozy comfort on a chilly fall evening, be sure to get a chimney sweep pro to make sure everything will run well and smell clean.

Possible Causes

Some smells coming from your chimney and fireplace are natural by-products of regular burning. A buildup of creosote and soot is another reason due to improper or no cleaning of the chimney.

Critters baring gifts, using your chimney as a bathroom or simply being stuck inside the small space can be a cause of odors. If you believe there is an animal located in your chimney, a professional chimney sweep is the answer. Do not attempt to remove a live animal from your chimney. It is best to allow all animal removal to be done by the certified chimney professionals.

If rainwater falls into the mix, chimney mold is always the smelly result. This also requires someone with knowledge of chimney sweeping and mold removal.  

If there is an odor coming from the chimney, do not use it until you have contacted a chimney sweep for a professional evaluation and chimney cleaning. You may be wondering how much does a chimney sweep cost, and that is a solid question. Contact All Year Chimney Sweeps & Repair to schedule a cleaning of your chimney and or a free estimate.  

If you haven’t had your chimney cleaned yet this year, winter will be here sooner rather than later. Call All Year Chimney Sweeps & Repair. We’ll have your chimney clean and clear again before you know it! Call All Year Chimney Sweeps & Repair at (615) 285-9118 today! We look forward to serving you.

What is Creosote and How to Prevent It

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All Year Chimney Sweeps and Repairs know a thing or two about creosote. They are the chimney sweep pro for Central Tennessee and they know how to keep creosote from harming your home and family.

What is Creosote?

Creosote is an extremely combustible, foul smelling, gummy corrosive substance, which left unattended, can cause a dangerous fire hazard as well as health issues. Creosote, a volatile gas, arrives when burning wood and coats everything in its path. A proper chimney cleaning can help keep this nasty material from harming what you love.    

Causes of Creosote Buildup  

The type of wood you burn is a contributing factor to creosote buildup. As the wood burns, the water content within becomes saturated steam. This steam is approximately 215° F and that is much cooler than the creosote gasses at 250° F. Creosote and condensation form when the steam cools. This happens whether you burn soft or hard wood.  

The placement, size of the chimney, the flue size, and the clay chimney liner are factors in creating creosote. If you have an older home and a fireplace, contacting a chimney pro like All Year Chimney Sweeps and Repairs can help you navigate the possible dangers and different solutions.

Preventing Creosote

The two options for preventing creosote in your chimney is to burn the creosote gases before they reach the top of the chimney, or keep the chimney temperature above 250° F from top to bottom at all times.

To keep your home fresh, clean, and free from this dangerous gas, have your chimney cleaned regularly. For reliable, quality care, contact Tennessee's best chimney builders, and professional chimneysweepers at All Year Chimney Sweeps and Repairs.

If you haven’t had your chimney cleaned yet this year, winter will be here sooner rather than later. Call All Year Chimney Sweeps & Repair. We’ll have your chimney clean and clear again before you know it! Call All Year Chimney Sweeps & Repair at (615) 285-9118 today! We look forward to serving you.

7 Safe Burning Tips for the Health of Your Family & Fireplace

Fire It Up!

The weather is about to get colder, and we are about to gravitate back to the fireplace again. Are you as excited as we are? Of course, Sometimes the temperatures drop before we’re quite ready with that plentiful stack of firewood beside the garage. We can decide to get a little creative with our choices for acceptable fuel sources. Here is a list of reasons why you may want to think twice. 

7 Safe Burning Tips for the Health of Your Family & Fireplace

1. SEASONED HARDWOODS - Whenever possible, use seasoned hardwoods like maple, elm and oak in your wood-burning stoves and fireplaces. Hardwoods are always your best choice over better softwoods like cedar, fir and pine. Because they burn hotter, they create less creosote - the oily black tar-like residue that clings to your chimney and stove pipe interiors.

2. GREEN OR WET WOODS - Similarly, always avoid using green or wet woods as your primary firewood. Green and wet wood also create more creosote and smoke.

3. TREATED & PAINTED WOOD SCRAPS - Painted scrap wood and wood treated with preservatives should not be burned, as the combustion process releases toxic pollutants, such as arsenic or lead, within the paint or treatment.

4. CHARCOAL, PLASTICS & COLORED PAPER - Other common pollutant producing material that should not be burned include charcoal, plastics, and colored paper, such as comics and wrapping paper,

5. FOLLOW THE MANUAL - Always heed the  manufacturer’s direction. Never burn anything that the stove or fireplace manufacturer does not recommend.

6. ACT QUICK IN A GAS LEAK - If you believe you smell fuel, quick action is key. Be sure to check every possible source, especially your gas stove, fireplace, and pilot lights. Until you are sure the source has been found and the leak resolved, turn off all suspicious appliances, units or devices, extinguish all flames or pilot lights, open windows and doors, call for help, and vacate the building swiftly.

7. INSPECT CHIMNEY - Prior to each fall/winter heating season, be certain to have your chimney and chimney flue inspected for leakage and blockage by creosote or debris. Black stains on the outside of your chimney or flue are evidence that combustion pollutants are leaking into your house instead of being swept up and out of the house. A professional chimney cleaning by All Year Chimney Sweeps will have your chimney clean as a whistle before you know it!

Remember,

If you haven’t had your chimney cleaned yet this year, winter will be here sooner rather than later. Call All Year Chimney Sweeps & Repair. We’ll have your chimney clean and clear again before you know it! Call All Year Chimney Sweeps & Repair at (615) 285-9118 today! We look forward to serving you.

For special offers from All Year Chimney Sweeps, click here:

http://www.chimneysweepsnashville.com

Top 5 Sources of Chimney Leaks

       

Here it comes again - the rain, ice and snow season.

Fortunately, we have a little time to prepare. But if you’re already seeing leaks in your chimney, it’s time to act. There are many reasons chimneys leak. Here is a list of the top 5 sources of chimney leaks to investigate. And don’t worry, at All Year Chimney Sweeps, we’re here to help you get your chimney back to perfect operating condition again.

1) LEAKY FLASHING

Improperly sealed flashing is one of the biggest culprits behind a leaky chimney. Time and severe weather eventually diminishes the effectiveness of your chimney flashing, allowing moisture to penetrate and damage your chimney. Sometimes, the flashing was inadequately sealed at the time of installation. A certified chimney sweep can quickly identify and correct any chimney leaks due to improperly sealed flashing.

2) CRACKED CROWN

Your chimney’s crown plays a very important role in protecting your chimney. It prevents rain, snow, ice and other elements from entering your chimney and eroding your masonry. Many leaky chimneys are suffering from a crack in the crown. Often, the crack can be repaired without need to replace anything else. However, do not delay, or there is a greater likelihood of needing to replace the crown and even the masonry.

3) NO CHIMNEY CAP

Many times, the issue behind your leaking chimney is simply that the top is not covered. The installation of a chimney cap is key to shielding your chimney from water, debris, and pests that can cause problematic blockages. If you do not already have a chimney cap, our All Year Chimney Sweeps technicians will be happy to expertly install the right cap for your chimney.

4) INTERIOR LEAKS

An improperly fitted liner in your chimney or flue can cause moisture from gas fumes to be absorbed into the bricks and lead to water seepage into the walls. This is another issue that can easily be identified by an experienced chimney sweep, and typically, repaired very swiftly.

5) LEAKING BRICKS

The porosity of bricks as well as mortar can sometimes allow water to pass through. The application of water-proofing material by a professional chimney sweep like All Year Chimney Sweeps does an excellent job of preventing moisture from seeping into your home.

Call All Year Chimney Sweeps & Repair

to schedule your own chimney checkup. Our technicians will create a special treatment plan to care for any issues. We will return your chimney to a place of perfect health fortification to win the war against water! Contact All Year Chimney Sweeps & Repair at (615) 285-9118 today! We look forward to serving you.

For special offers from All Year Chimney Sweeps, click below:

http://www.chimneysweepsnashville.com

Upgrade to a Gas Fireplace for Fall

Just Around the Corner

Well, it was inevitable that fall was going to sneak up on us again. Now here we are, with the kids returning to school and football season kicking off. Before we know it, that familiar chill in the air will be back too. That means it’s time to start thinking about your fireplace to ensure it’s ready when the cold weather hits. Here’s a question: have you considered converting your wood fireplace into cleaner, safer, more convenient, more energy efficient gas?

Cleaner
A gas fireplace eliminates all the soot lining your home that’s associated with burning wood logs, as well as the creosote that develops inside your chimney, one of the leading causes for chimney fires. It also eliminates the debris of dirt, bark, and sawdust from log piles inside and outside your home.

Convenient
Wood burning fireplaces are lovely, but they can be a lot of work. Between buying and stacking the logs, hauling them inside on chilly nights, waiting for damp logs to dry out, constantly cleaning all the messy debris from logs and ashes, and that’s not even saying anything about building and maintaining the fire yet! Let’s be honest, unless you have a boy scout merit badge in campfire building, some days it seems like that fire is never going to take off. And just when it gets to that perfect state with the

More Efficient
Gas fireplaces are more economical to install than a wood-burning fireplace. Besides the cost and effort of buying and storing firewood each year, gas is typically inexpensive and is more efficient per BTU. It also burns much cleaner than traditional wood, producing fewer emissions. Gas fireplaces also significantly reduce the risk of chimney fires.

Contact Chimney Quest

To schedule a free professional consultation about upgrading your Middle Tennessee chimney to gas logs this fall, contact our trained professionals at All Year Chimney Sweeps & Repair. Our skilled technicians will be happy to provide answers to any questions you have. For all your Nashville chimney cleaning, chimney refurbishing, upgrades and inspection needs, call All Year Chimney Sweeps & Repair at (615) 285-9118 . We look forward to hearing from you!

For special offers from All Year Chimney Sweeps, click here:

http://www.chimneysweepsnashville.com