Building blocks for a great fire

As the autumn leaves fall, the days grow shorter, and a cool wind starts moving across the plains. The nights are getting longer and the cold air is coming down from the North, bringing snow, ice, and sleet.   Winter is just around the corner, and you must start to make preparations around your property. You bring in all your patio furniture.  You replace your screens with storm windows, caulking and sealing any exposed cracks in the borders.

You do inspections on your boiler and furnace to make sure they are in good working order as you approach the deep cold of the winter. You check your generator in case of any power outages. You examine your stock of logs to ascertain if you have an adequate supply for the winter. In addition, you clean your fireplace.  You remove all debris from the metal grate, scrub the inner walls of the fireplace, and make sure the damper opens and closes with no problems. You check the flue for any obstructions, as you prepare to light the first fire of the season. Before you do, it is necessary to inspect the length of the chimney for any damage, especially to see if you need to do any chimney crown repairs.

Chimney crown is vital

A chimney crown is like a hat for the chimney. After all the bricks are placed one on top of the other, and mortar and concrete placed in between to seal the chute tightly, a chimney crown is placed on top of the structure. This is an additional sealant for your chimney. It provides protection to the bricks at the top of the chimney from weather, debris, and animals. If this is not complete, the chimney will not function properly.

Complete chimney for a great fire

When you stack your logs in the fireplace, light the match, and start your fire, you are looking to create a warm, inviting atmosphere. The crackling fire will give you heat for your living room and provide a backdrop as it burns away in the fireplace. It is a comfortable ambience, peaceful and serene. This will all be disrupted if the chimney crown has deteriorated or been damaged. The pieces of bricks and mortar will fall down the chimney into the metal grate. The cap will be dislodged, providing an opening for animals and creatures to venture into your chimney, or other obstructions to become lodged in the shaft. All of these things will lead to a less effective fireplace or even a completely useless fireplace if you are unable to light a fire due to the obstructions. 

Repair the crown

An inspection of the top of the chimney is all that is needed to alert you to any potential damage. You can examine it for cracks, breaks, and crumbling pieces. If necessary you can use a sealant to fix the damage, or get an entirely new crown to be placed on the top of your chimney. Either way, if a chimney crown repair is necessary then, you can call for Arlington chimney repair and do not wait as it will affect your use of the fireplace.

A new wood burning stove

No matter the reason, getting a wood burning stove is a step in the direction of returning to your roots.  In the past, there was no gas or oil which powered your homes.  You had to rely on the fire produced by wood and kindling to provide heat and a source for your cooking. If you are a person who is interested in living like your ancestors, or like the look, a wood burning stove might be an ideal addition to your home.   As a person interested in conservation, a wood burning stove is an ideal addition to your home.  It provides a smoke free environment while giving off a clean source of heat and warmth.  It is not an easy project when you decide to do wood burning stove installation, but it is one you are confident you can accomplish in your home. 

wood stove repair

wood stove repair

Getting started

After you have decided to install a wood burning stove, you must consult your local ordinances to insure that you are legally able to install and use a wood burning stove.  There are building codes, fire codes, and other rules and regulations that you must comply with when installing this particular type of appliance.  In addition, there are safety guidelines and approved materials you must be familiar with before starting this project. There are manufacturer suggested instructions which should be followed whenever you are installing a wood burning stove.

 The following are basic steps in the process that must be supplemented by the required distances, approved components and other materials as recommended by the governing authorities. 

•    Select a chimney: There are three normal choices when choosing a chimney to be used during your wood burning stove installation.  All wood burning stoves must have a chimney.  The stovepipe of the stove cannot be run through walls, floors, or the ceiling and must be attached to the chimney through a connector.  Your choices are a properly lined masonry chimney, an Underwriters Laboratory approved stainless steel metal chimney, or a pre existing chimney with approved materials.
 
•    The Stovepipe:  This is a piece of metal used to connect the top of the stove to the metal or masonry chimney.  This stovepipe cannot be run through walls, ceiling or flooring.   It must be connected to the chimney directly.   Be sure the piping is sufficiently placed away from any other combustible materials, including the walls and ceiling.  You can use a single pipe, or a double pipe with insulation for added protection.

•    Support the stove:  As you choose a location in your home for the stove, you must reinforce the flooring with the proper base for the stove. The base of the wood burning stove must be made of non combustible material, like concrete. The base must extend beyond the diameter of the wood burning stove, including the width of the opening for the loading doors.  In addition, the floor underneath the length of the stovepipe from the top of the stove to the chimney must also be made of non combustible material.


Source

A warming blaze

One of the most attractive features of your new home is the fireplace in the living room.  The design is unique with bricks, concrete, and mortar in an aesthetically pleasing array set into the walls of your home.   You were unsure if you wanted a fireplace in your home, as you had never had one before, but the idea seems appealing to you as you contemplate the cold months ahead, and the rising costs of heating your living space.  If cutting some trees in the backyard, drying the wood properly, and using them to provide warmth in your home reduces your living expenses, than the fireplace is a great addition.  You may even be able to save on cooking expense by utilizing the flames to boil water or fry up some bacon and eggs, as if you were camping. Before the omnipresent flow of gas into homes, our ancestors did all of their cooking over an open flame, so why not you?  Ok, that might be a stretch; after all we do live in a modern age.  But, a nice cozy fire provides an ambience in your home, an inviting glow, warming all those who gather around the hearth.  You must remember, as with all things, maintenance is required, or it will fail to function properly.  A good Arlington fireplace service company can do wonders to make it possible to continue to provide the roaring fires to warm your home.

Why get fireplace service?

Your fireplace is a bricked alcove set into the walls of your home.  In that alcove is a metal grate where you stack your wood for burning. As you use your fireplace, burning log after log, ashes and embers are collected below the metal grate.  If the ash is not removed, it will create a mound in your fireplace which will obstruct the metal grate, making it impossible to adequately stack your logs and start a fire.    The smoke attaches to the sides of the fireplace creating a layer of dust and debris.  Over time, the bricks may get chipped, the mantel may collapse and the hearth might sustain damage.  For all of these reasons, to insure optimal performance of your fireplace, you need to get service by a professional.

What will happen?

If you fail to properly service your fireplace, there will be an extensive buildup of soot and ash on the inside walls of the alcove.  This may lead to problems in the air quality of your home.  If the bricks get broken, or the hearth is damaged, this may lead to an ineffective fireplace, causing a leakage of not only smoke, soot and ash, but also the heat and warmth from the fire.   If the alcove is not properly formed and sealed, any potential heat may escape and not be concentrated into your home.  This will defeat the entire purpose of having a fireplace.  Every year you need to clean out the bottom of the metal grate, removing all soot and ash.  You need to thoroughly clean the walls of the fireplace, removing excess grime and debris.    During the winter season, routinely check the integrity of the bricks and hearth for any damage.  A professional Arlington fireplace service company can help you to accomplish all of these goals.  

Original Source

Easy flow for your fire

The day has ended and the night has fallen. There is a brisk wind rattling through the trees.  You can feel the cold deep in your bones, as the temperature drops towards the freezing mark.  You bundle yourself in warm clothing to create a nice cocoon of heat.   As you pass the hours of the night, you may need some additional warmth, so you get a few logs and throw them into the fireplace.   As you are stacking your wood, preparing to set them ablaze, you reach up and open the damper to allow access through the flue into the chimney.   Just when you open the damper, a collection of soot and ash tumbles down falling right onto your face.  

You shake your head, and accept it as inevitable, as a fire will always produce these particles.  You sit back and enjoy the comforting blanket of warmth pulsating from the dancing flames.  As winter progresses, you repeat the same procedure, not noticing the amount of ash and soot is growing larger each night you open the damper.  Finally, with two feet of snow surrounding your home, your fire blazing, smoke starts billowing into your living room.  It no longer is able to easily flow up through the chimney.  You panic. The only solution at this late moment in time is to put out the fire, and return the room to its chilly atmosphere.  This could have been avoided if you had used a chimney cleaning Arlington VA Company.

Never too early

Preventive maintenance is crucial for your home, especially for appliances and the structural integrity of the building.   You do not want to inspect a roof after it has sprung a leak.  You do not want to check the air filter on the furnace after it has stopped working.   You do not want to send for a chimney cleaner after your home is covered in soot and ash.  A chimney cleaning Arlington VA Company is on call all year round.  You can schedule an appointment at any time.  This is especially true for chimneys that are located above your furnace or boiler, as they are in use for the full twelve months of the year.  These appliances need to be properly ventilated through a clean chimney. 

Better safe than sorry

You may feel it is unnecessary to clean your chimney.  However, over time with continuous usage, there will be a buildup on the liner of the chimney of excess soot and ash.   Eventually, this grime and debris will grow until it obstructs the flow of smoke and ash through the chimney.  If you let this happen, your fireplace will be useless, unless you want to put a potted plant into it for decoration.  By being proactive, you can prevent any blockages in the chimney, allowing for a free and easy flow of toxins and contaminants out into the night air, away from your breathable living space.   A warm cozy fire is inviting.  In order to maximize your enjoyment, use a chimney cleaning Arlington VA Company to remove all obstructions inside your chimney. 


Original Source

Soot and ash in your living room

You cannot figure it out. Every day during the winter you find a layer of soot and ash on the floor of your living room where your fireplace is located.   The ceiling is turning a darker shade, with some evidence of blackening.  It makes no sense.  You sit in your chair, reading a book, before a warm fire.There is no smoke entering your home, no debris sparking into the room, and no ash emanating from the fireplace.Yet, every day there is more and more buildup in the room.   You are confused.  You stop using your fireplace.One day you go into your basement to do laundry, and you notice that there is a layer of soot on the floor by the furnace.  Now, you are really concerned.  Is your home producing soot?  Is someone sneaking into your house and throwing ash all over the place? No, the answer is much simpler.You need chimney cleaning service in Fairfax VA.

What is going on?

It is obvious that a fire produces ash and smoke that need to be sent into the night air.  In order to do this, a chimney is constructed over your fireplace.  In addition, any appliance that burns wood or gas, such as a wood pellet stove, furnace or boiler, needs to be ventilated.   The fireplace and these appliances create armful toxics which are expelled into the air.If there is no place for them to go, they will remain in your home, covering your flooring, ceiling and furniture.The toxics will also stay in the air, causing long term effects as you breathe the unknown substances into your lungs. If you take a look at your home, you have two chimneys, one for your fireplace, and one for other appliances, like the furnace.In order to make sure that these systems are properly ventilated, you need to get your chimney cleaned by a professional.
 
What will they do?

A chimney cleaning Fairfax VA Company will give you peace of mind when you operate your fireplace or wood burning stove.  They will use automated vacuums, brushes, and sweepers to clean the inside of your chimney.   They will insure that the chimney damper is working properly.  This is the device that controls the opening between the chimney and the appliance or fireplace. The liner of the chimney will be completely swept clean so that all debris and previous buildup of soot and ash is removed. This will enable a free flow of the smoke, ash, and soot from your fireplace and appliances through the chimney into the night sky.

Living in comfort

It is always the unknown obstacles and problems that cause the most concern.  Your chimney is hidden behind bricks and mortar, unseen by your eyes.  You only think about the liner of the chimney when it is not working, and that is too late.  Chimney cleaning may not be at the top of your priority list, but it should be very close.  By choosing a chimney cleaning Fairfax VA Company to sweep your chimneys, you are insuring the air you breathe in your home is free of contaminants. 
 

Article Source :- Click Here

Taking a good look at your chimney

Home ownership is not an easy thing.  There are many responsibilities that come with purchasing a residence and property.You are required to pay all the associated bills,including electric, gas, cable, and phone.  In addition, you must pay taxes to the local municipality on the property.An often overlooked task when you buy a home is the amount of maintenance the property will require both inside and outside.   You understand you must keep your living space clean and tidy, but the detailed work that has to occur outside was something you never expected, especially if you did not grow up in a house.   There is a lawn to mow, seed, and fertilize.The flowers need to be planted and cultivated.  Bushes and trees need to be trimmed and managed so that they do not grow wild.It is a constant battle to maintain a semblance of cleanliness in your home and on your property.Hidden concerns also must be addressed, like a leaking roof, faulty wiring in the walls, or cracks in the foundation.One hidden area that is forgotten is the chimney inspection.

A necessary job
When you look at your home from the outside you may see two chimney stacks sticking above the top of the roof.   Once inside your home, all you think about is the chimney connected to the fireplace, as that is the one you will utilize when you light a fire on a cold drafty evening.  However, any burning appliance in your home needs to have a venting system.The hot water heater, boiler, and furnace all must be properly ventilated to prevent a buildup of harmful substances in the air in your home. In order to make sure that the venting system is working properly, you need a chimney inspection.
 
Keep it in working order
A Chimney inspection is a great way to provide peace of mind, not only when you light a fire, but when you operate any apparatus that burns gas or wood.A chimney inspection will examine the structure of the chimney, checking for any cracks, dislodged bricks, or broken mortar along the entire length of your chimney.The inspector will assess the liner of your chimney to insure that it is intact and still in good working order.At the top of your chimney is an opening to allow the soot, ash and smoke from your fireplace and appliances to escape your home and vent into the night air.  All chimneys must have a cap in place to prevent animals, birds, and other debris from falling into your chimney and possibly clogging the flow of wasteful air out into the night.
 
Do not wait until it is an emergency
It is recommend that a chimney inspection occurs on a regular basis, as that is the best way to insure that your venting system is working efficiently and effectively.  If the furnace is not vented properly, you may be breathing in harmful toxins and not even know it.If the chimney over your fireplace is not clean, you will fill your home with smoke and ash every time you use it.A chimney inspection prevents these occurrences, and should be considered as part of your maintenance schedule for your property. 

Article Source :- Click Here

Remembering days of yore

In a log cabin, he only way to get heat was to light a fire.There was no boiler or furnace, no source of gas flowing into the home.  You needed to cut down a tree, harvest some logs, and build a fire.  You used the fire for heat and as a source of cooking.At the end of the night, the family gathered around the fire, mostly to stay warm, but also to spend quality  time together, sharing stories, talking about their adventures during the day, and discussing what the next morning will bring, and the activities that must be accomplished when they all wake  up from their slumber.It was a simpler time.Over time, this all changed.  However, some people still enjoy the great benefits of wood stove in the corner of the room.  If you live out in a rural area, where wood is plentiful but access to oil and gas is made difficulty with expense, you can utilize a wood stove to provide heat and a place to cook your meals.  The more adventurous will strive to do wood stove installation by themselves.

Taking the first step

The first step is the decision to get a wood stove.  You may enjoy an atmosphere of a fire, but wish to have it enclosed in a wood stove instead of an open fireplace.  This eliminates the smoke billowing into your living room giving you a smoke free environment, while marinating a country lifestyle with a roaring fire.  After deciding on a wood stove, you must make sure all building and fire codes are followed.  You must research your local town ordinances to make sure you can do wood stove installation in your area.  You must obtain as much knowledge as possible so you are fully informed about the steps to take legally when you do a wood stove installation.

Installing your stove

There are no quick and easy procedures that are utilized when installing a wood stove.  If you decide to do it on your own, there are some foundational issues that must always be considered.  All of the following must be supplemented by reviewing the recommended settings and approved components for materials, along with the codes and regulations governing and placement in your home.

•  Choice of a chimney
There are three standard options when deciding on the chimney requirements for your wood stove.  Every wood stove must have a chimney, and cannot be run through the windows or the roof.  You could choose an insulated stainless steel Underwriters Laboratory approved metal chimney. You could build a lined masonry chimney, or you could attach your wood stove to an existing chimney.

•  The Stovepipe
This is a piece of metal used to connect the top of the stove to the metal or masonry chimney.  This stovepipe cannot be run through walls, ceiling or flooring.   It must be connected to the chimney directly.   Be sure the piping is sufficiently placed away from any other combustible materials, including the walls and ceiling.

•  The Flooring
Underneath the wood stove must be made of concrete or other non combustible materials.  The base must extend beyond the diameter of the   wood stove, including the opening of the loading door. In addition, there should be a stove board run on the floor under the path of the stove pipe.

Improving your fireplace performance

A nice cozy warm fire conjures up images of a log cabin, or old country lifestyle.   You sit in your chair, relaxing before a roaring fire, hearing the crackling embers, and feeling the warmth as it emanates from the fireplace.  There is nothing like stacking your logs on the metal grate, striking a match and letting you’re the fire take hold in the kindling. During this preparation you decided it is time to replace the liner in the chimney which runs from your other devices, such as a boiler or furnace.  This is a complicated job, but one you have confidence you can accomplish. Always follow manufacturers suggested step by step instructions as a supplement to the following basic guidelines.

• Inspect your chimney. This is always the first step.You must get a feel for the parameters of the job.  In addition, this will help you to measure the appropriate diameter for your liner.  In addition to diameter, you will need to measure form the top of the chimney, the cap, to the bottom, near the flue and damper.  Give yourself extra length so you have enough.  Once the inspection and measurements are done, purchase an appropriate stainless steel liner at the local store, with the accompanying kit with all materials included.

• Assemble tools and kit After you have purchased the liner, examine the contents.   It should contain the stainless steel chimney liner, connector, top plate, and rain cap.  Once you have examined the kit, stretch out your chimney liner flat on the grass.

• Assemble the Connector.   This is necessary to connect he liner to the appliance or wood burning stove.  Attach the connector to the bottom of the liner.

• Drop in the liner. In preparation to drop the liner into the chimney, you may have an insulation blanket as added protection.  I f so, you need to wrap the liner with the installation, attaching it with glue, and strapping it in place with a wire mesh.  After completing this, you can drop the liner down the shaft, making sure someone is down at the bottom to help you guide the shaft in the chimney. The liner should be dropped until the connector reaches the hole in the chimney where the metal piper will connect to it from the appliance.

• Connect the appliance to the liner.  Once the liner is in place, make the connection between the bottom of the liner, with the connector attached to the appliance and its stovepipe.

• Connect the top plate. Once you have finished inside, you must return outside to finalize installation.  You must install the top plate to the cap of the chimney  You do this by threading the liner through the top plate, than securing it to the concrete, clay, or whatever other material the chimney cap is made of, making sure not to tighten it too firmly that you break the cap.

• Cut off excess liner. Once the tip plate is secure, any liner protruding above the top plate must be removed.  Once done, clamp the liner to the top plate, so that the weight of the liner is borne by the stable top plate.

• Attach rain cap. The final step is to attach the rain cap to the top plate.

If you want know more about chimney liner installation & chimney service,Contact us.