Lower Temps, Higher Risk!

January 22, 2019 | Information

When it’s chilly outside, it’s nice to make your home warm inside.  This is the time of year when everyone looks to use their fireplaces for quick warmth and relaxing ambience.  Unfortunately, however, this is also the most common time of year for house fires caused by dirty fireplaces. Just this past weekend, Savannah Fire Rescue had to cut holes in a Tatem Street home to put out a chimney fire. The fireplace was dirty, and long overdue for a professional cleaning and inspection; however, it was used anyway.Firefighters everywhere see this sort of problem more than you may realize – even in Florida!This is a common danger that can be easily prevented by having your chimney professionally cleaned and inspected by a CSIA-Certified Chimney Sweep, and making sure it is safe BEFORE using it. Call Chimney Champions® at 904-268-7200, or book online to schedule your service today!

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NATIONAL CHIMNEY SAFETY WEEK 2018

September 12, 2018 | Information

SEPTEMBER 30 – OCTOBER 6, 2018 IS NATIONAL CHIMNEY SAFETY WEEK!According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), there are over 20,000 residential chimney fires each year, resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars in repairs… AND PREVENTABLE INJURIES AND DEATHS!Keep your dryer vents clean, always make sure your home has Smoke and Carbon Monoxide detectors, and change their batteries regularly!  You should always keep fire extinguishers in your home, but be sure to check them periodically for recalls! While fire is an obvious danger that we should all take seriously, it is not the only hazard to our fireplaces.  Click here to check out one of our recent blog posts, and see for yourselves just how bad a system can get when vulnerable to animal intrusion.These are some of the reasons Chimney Champions® wants to help you protect your home and family.  Be sure that your fireplace is CLEAN AND SAFE before using it this … Continued

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It’s Breeding Season for Federally-Protected Chimney Swifts!

July 5, 2018 | Inspections

Thinking of Removing Birds from Your Chimney?  …Not So Fast!!Every year, the appropriately-named Chimney Swifts migrate to North America from Peru during springtime, and commonly build their nests inside of chimneys.  Their glue-like saliva allows them to attach their nests onto the inside wall of your chimney.  This species of birds (Chaetura pelagica) is federally-protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, therefore it is against federal law to remove or disturb them – or their active nests – during their breeding season without a Federal Migratory Bird Depredation Permit.  Breeding season typically lasts until around the end of the summer, but you can check out this interactive migration map to learn more about their migration habits!Though their chirping can be loud and bothersome, Chimney Swift hatchlings typically leave their nests around 30 days after hatching.  To help prevent the youngsters from falling down your chimney shaft, you should make sure your … Continued

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Riverside Avondale Preservation Home Tour 2018

April 3, 2018 | News

We’re so excited… the 44th Annual Riverside Avondale Preservation Spring Tour of Homes is April 14-15, 2018!Each spring, select residents of this beautiful area of Jacksonville open their homes to benefit RAP, a local grassroots organization dedicated to the preservation of historical assets in Riverside and Avondale.Chimney Champions® is a proud supporter of this event, and will have a representative present in one of the tour homes for the entire weekend to answer all your chimney related questions!For more information on the event, including a list of the homes, please visit https://raphometour.com/

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The debate continues… are ventless fireplaces safe?

February 20, 2018 | News

We recently did a Level 2 Cleaning and Inspection for a buyer of a beautiful new home – at least new to the buyer!  Unfortunately, they were very concerned about the fact that the home had a fireplace, yet had no chimney.  No chimney, you ask?  Yes, no chimney.One of our favorite things to do is educate clients about fireplaces and chimneys, so we were glad to have this opportunity to share what we know about ventless fireplaces, which are becoming more common in the Jacksonville area only recently despite having been sold in the United States since 1980.

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Chimney Fires in the Jacksonville News

January 20, 2018 | News

“I saw flames, smoke; I couldn’t breathe. I had to slide down the stairs, started to lose consciousness….and I didn’t know where the flames were coming from!”That’s what Timothy Zapata told Jacksonville firefighters after they rescued him from his burning home off St. Johns Bluff Road according to News4Jax reporters.Fortunately for Zapata he was awake when his home began to burn, “A bowl of cereal saved my life… I mean, had I gone to bed, I would have probably died from smoke inhalation.” The fire marshal told Zapata it looked like a bad flue in the fireplace was the culprit.

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Fire Extinguisher Recall – do you have a Kidde in your Home?

November 5, 2017 | News

In a voluntary agreement with the Consumer Product Safety Commission, fire extinguisher manufacturer Kidde has recalled more than 40 million fire extinguishers due to a defective plastic handle.  The extinguishers can become clogged or require excessive force to activate, posing a risk of failure.  There have been 391 reports of Kidde extinguishers failing to function which have resulted in one death, 16 injuries, and 91 reports of property damage.  This may not seem like much, and it’s true that you seldom have a problem that requires need of a fire extinguisher… but when needed, they must work!

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Is Fire Damage in Your Home Covered by Homeowners Insurance, other Insurance, or YOUR Retirement Savings?

August 7, 2017 | News

If you’re like me, you are on a constant quest to reduce the monthly expenses of home ownership. Every tip or technique discovered to reduce the expenses in my own home are shared with my clients and radio show listeners. It is my hope that you freely share them with your friends and family to enhance their home ownership experience, while reducing their costs.Among the most misunderstood and frustrating of homeowner expenses is insurance. Between legislative actions in Tallahassee and the response by the insurance companies it’s at times a daunting challenge just to get insurance, let alone at an affordable rate.

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Who Was the Coolest Man In the World in 1901?

June 14, 2017 | News

You are no doubt reading this in the cool comfort of your home, auto, or office. For that comfort you can thank Willis Carrier.To go back a ways and start the Carrier story off right, you should know the first of the Carrier clan in America was a political refugee from England who assumed the name “Thomas Carrier” when he arrived in Massachusetts in 1663. Thomas married Martha Allen and they together produced two sons.Mrs. Carrier was involved in an unpleasant dispute over real estate with the town fathers in Andover, Massachusetts. The result of the dispute was that she was accused of being a witch. Her two sons aged 10 and 13 were hung by their heels until they testified that their mother was a witch!  On August 19th 1692, she was arrested, convicted and hanged on Salem’s Gallows Hill.

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Who Invented Electric Christmas Lights?

December 3, 2016 | News

A Chimney Inspector’s Perspective on the History of Christmas Lights based on information from the Library of Congress:Thomas Edison, the inventor of the first successful practical light bulb, created the very first strand of electric lights. During the Christmas season of 1880, these strands were strung around the outside of his Menlo Park Laboratory. Railroad passengers traveling by the laboratory got their first look at an electrical light display. But it would take almost forty years for electric Christmas lights to become the tradition that we all know and love.

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