Chimney Inspection
Chimney Fires
Chimney fires are serious! Temperatures in the chimney during a chimney fire can reach over 2000 degrees Fahrenheit – hot enough to destroy the chimney liner and possibly set the house on fire.
Hiring a chimney professional
In checking your chimney, a chimney professional can check all of the visible components of the chimney for damage, needed maintenance, and fire safety. A chimney professional is trained to look for dangerous or questionable conditions that a homeowner could easily miss.
Annual Safety Inspections for Your Chimney
An annual safety inspection should be performed on every fireplace before its first fire of the year. Call a trained chimney professional who knows all the components of a chimney and fireplace to perform a visual inspection.
Odors: woodstove, fireplace, chimney
There are several types of odors that could detract from your enjoyment of the wood stove. Creosote has a very strong, acrid odor, generally much worse in wet weather or in the summertime when the chimney is less effective in drawing the odor up the chimney.
Creosote
One of the great misunderstandings in the world of woodstoves is how creosote fits into the picture. Contrary to popular belief, creosote is not an inevitable product of wood burning. Creosote forms when wood is burned incompletely, and is an indication of improper use, poor installation, or a poor wood stove design.
Woodstove problems: poor performance
Sometimes it seems that the stove just isn’t working as well as it used to. If there is no obvious problem, such as smoking, catalyst malfunction, etc., but it just doesn’t seem to be doing the job it used to, consider the possibilities in this article.
Woodstove problem: catalytic combustor
If your stove has a catalytic combustor, it is critical that it be in good working condition, as the efficiency of the stove depends almost entirely on the cat. ? In general, If you have followed the instructions for lighting the stove, waited until it is up to the correct temperature, and engaged the cat, within a few minutes the stove should be burning steadily, with little or no visible smoke exiting the chimney.
Woodstove problem: woodstove gaskets
Gaskets around doors, ash pans, air intakes, or between metal panels of a wood stove are critical to proper stove performance. Leaky or missing gaskets let air in in the wrong place, fouling the burn and often severely reducing burn efficiency.
Woodstove problem: cracked or broken glass
Under normal conditions of use, the stove glass will not crack or break. Causes of glass breakage are varied including that of improper glass installation.
Woodstove problems: warped or broken parts
The metal plates on the inside of the stove are there to protect the outside of the stove from damage. If any of the burn plates becomes cracked or badly warped, replace it. It is a lot cheaper than replacing the whole stove down the road!
Smoky woodstove: smoky on wet days in other rooms
Some stoves seem to work just fine except when it is wet out. If this seems to be the case, pay close attention to the weather when you have smoking problems. It is easy to confuse wind-related problems with rain-related problems.
Smoky woodstove: smoking on windy days
Some stoves seem to work okay except on windy days, or if the wind is coming from a specific direction. Chimney height should be considered as a possible cause. We will look at this and other possible causes.
