Inspections

This week we cleaned and inspected the chimney system of an older home from 1945.  Beautiful home!  The owner of the home wasn’t sure they wanted a Level 2 service (which includes a scan of the flue with a video camera).  The general thought was, ‘Since the system is so old and has been in place so long, there’s probably nothing to see.’  We always recommend a Level 2 service because… well, you just never know.And wow!  We found some very exciting things!  And by exciting, I mean… very dangerous problems!  As our Chimney Champions® technician was scanning the flue with his video camera, he discovered the dark area you see in the image below.  I’ll explain…What you’re seeing here is an entire section of the clay flue liner that is MISSING.  You see the orange clay liner, then you see a definitive line where it transitions to a dark … Continued

Check out the nice fireplace below.  Looks good, right?  Unfortunately, this system is a problem waiting to happen, and a very dangerous situation.  See below for further explanation…This is an older wood burning factory built fireplace, commonly called a Pre-Fab fireplace.  At some point, the system was converted from wood burning to gas.  However, check out the next photo below:The data plate above clearly states “for use with solid wood fuel only.”  ONLY!  This pre-fab firebox was designed to only handle wood, not gas.  The problem is the gas will likely overhead the system beyond what it was designed for.  This is a problem for any surrounding combustibles (all the wood framing around the fireplace), and the additional radiant heat could break down the components of the chimney system.  But since you can’t see those internal components, you won’t know they’re breaking down until one day – a fire breaks … Continued

We’ll never understand why birds choose to make a nest in your chimney!  This week, our Chimney Champions® technician found a nest, complete with eggs, waaay waaay down the flue – the next was located about halfway.  The only way we found it was through our video camera scanner, which we use during our Level 2 Cleaning & Inspection service.  Birds nests pose serious issues in your chimney – not only can they catch fire themselves, which could cause serious damage to your system, but they can also create a blockage such that smoke fills your home instead of going up through the chimney!  That’s never good.  Check out our photos below!First you’ll see the video image on the Chim-Scan showing the nest and eggs.  The next photo is the location of the nest…. see that little brush looking thing hanging down the flue?  That’s our video camera hanging down.  … Continued

Chimney caps are exactly what their name suggests… a metal cover over the top of your chimney.  Why is your chimney cap a big deal?

You never know what you might discover during a chimney sweep and inspection. In this case, a leak into the brick chimney was allowing water to flow onto an electric outlet. Everyone knows that water and electricity is a dangerous mix! Because you never know when chimney damage can occur, the Chimney Safety Institute of America recommends and annual chimney inspection by a CSIA Certified chimney inspector…. just like the ones here at Chimney Champions®!  904-268-7200

…in Hopes that St Nicholas Would Soon Be There!You know doubt know that line from the poem “Twas the Night Before Christmas.” Have you ever been curious about the tradition of hanging stockings by the fire?In days past when homes were heated by fireplaces, stockings were routinely hung by the fire to dry after washing or winter walks in the snow. Rare would be the home in that did not have stockings hung by the fire on most any night.