The top-down burn

January 21, 2019 | Training and tips

My favorite way to start a fire indoors and out is a method called the top-down burn. The interesting thing about this method of starting a fire is that it is the exact opposite of what most people do! To start, put the very largest pieces of wood front to back on the very bottom. The next layer up, use slightly smaller pieces of wood but stack them side to side on top of the largest bottom wood. Continue this process until the firewood has reached fifty percent of the height of the fireplace, and make sure each layer is progressively smaller and switching one layer front to back, one layer side to side. Once you are at the top, this is where you will only have very small wood pieces (as small as shavings) that can be very easily started with little or no effort. The fire will start … Continued

When is the best time to have your chimney swept?

January 21, 2019 | Common Questions

The Traditional Season The most popular time of the year in Florida to have a chimney sweep is in the Fall and before the holidays. As the holidays get closer, the demand increases even more to the point where it is tough to find any sweep available before January. This can be an issue because the best sweeps typically book up early in the Fall and by the time you go down the line you might end up with someone who is less than qualified to perform the service and does not have the proper tools, insurance, or certifications. The Best Time to Sweep – Spring Spring is actually the best time to have your chimney swept for a number of reasons. One reason is you can save money not having the sweep performed during the peak season. Take the HVAC industry in the Summer for example. If you are … Continued

Inspection of the day – gas fireplace troubles

January 20, 2019 | A Day in the Life

With the addition of my home inspection background, I have seen a few occasions where after closing the sellers take what they can out of a house and even swap out the appliances! During my chimney inspection today, the same situation occurred and the sellers even took the decorative logs from the fireplace 😢. My best recommendation on that end would be to hire a home inspector that is very thorough and also uses a program called recall check where the serial numbers are stored for the appliances in case of a future recall. It can help not only in the event of a recall, but also if someone tries to take and swap out appliances. Onto the inspection. Issue one: The home was in the process of being set up for liquid propane but the fireplace had not been converted from natural gas for use with propane. If the … Continued

Carbon Monoxide

January 13, 2019 | A Day in the Life

Let’s talk about a very serious topic, Carbon Monoxide (CO). Carbon Monoxide is a odorless, tasteless, and colorless gas that can be deadly to humans and animals. Carbon Monoxide is a natural byproduct of combustion and one of the purposes of why things such as fireplaces, gas dryers, and furnaces have venting systems to get deadly gases out of the home. According to the CDC, each year more than 400 Americans die from unintentional Carbon Monoxide poisoning, 20,000 visit the emergency room, and over 4,000 are hospitalized. This a a staggering number that could be drastically reduced with the installation of Carbon Monoxide detectors in the home. Symptoms of Carbon Monoxide poisoning – Dizziness – Feeling weak – Headache – Upset stomach – Vomiting – Confusion – Chest pains Symptoms are often described as “flu-like” and sleeping or drunk individual are more likely to die from Carbon Monoxide poisoning … Continued

A quick tip for potential homeowners

January 12, 2019 | Training and tips

Sometimes I come across a situation where the sellers have either painted the attic (white most of the time) or try to keep me from inspecting the attic area. The is a instant red flag and once I gain access, typical I find a lot of damage. Just a few instances of severe attic damage from a previous fire and one attempt at hiding the damage by painting the attic. Always make sure the attic is inspected when buying a home, it could potentially cost you thousands of dollars!

Drone inspections with pets on location

January 10, 2019 | A Day in the Life

A few things to take into consideration when inspecting with a drone, does the client have pets and will the pet be upset or possibly destroy your drone. The safest option is to have the client bring the pet inside since most animals have not seen a drone before and the reaction to it could be bad. For example, a few years ago when I got one of my drones I was testing it in my back yard. My wife let the dog out while I was flying the drone and it led to one pissed off French Bulldog! One last thing to mention if you are a drone owner. Territorial birds can and will quickly destroy your drone. If you see a swarm of birds chasing your drone or a larger bird of prey getting close to your drone, bring it down quickly!

Gas starters in a factory built fireplace

January 10, 2019 | A Day in the Life

This is a interesting one that I always get pushback from both home owners and gas installers.. While gas starters may be allowed in masonry systems, they are not approved for factory built fireplaces and could lead to over firing of the system and insurance issues if a fire occurred. Factory built (pre fabricated) fireplaces are a UL listed appliances and only approved parts can be used in these systems. It may be a convenient way to start a fire but it is not worth the risk!

Sometimes sharing is NOT a good thing

January 10, 2019 | Dangers!

If you live in a multi-family condo or apartment you may have a situation where several flue systems are sharing one common space. The concern when this happens is that all parties need to maintain their chimney system to help ensure the safety of everyone in that shared space. This is not always the case and typically the property management company does not have definitive guidelines for maintenance or unsafe systems. The example above is one common situation where four condos are sharing one chimney chase. The condo inspected had a system that was no longer safe for use and using the system could have led to fire and or carbon monoxide entry into the condo, or even adjacent condos. Currently, the only proactive prevention you can take is to make sure you have the appropriate amount of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in your home and always have multiple … Continued

Improperly sized chimney caps

January 10, 2019 | A Day in the Life

Already in 2019, I have inspected three homes where a 8″ chimney cap was “installed” into a 10″ flue termination. The obvious is that the person installing these chimney caps knows exactly what is going to happen eventually, along with the water intrusion damage that will occur when it does happen. What isn’t obvious is that a chimney cap was incorrectly installed and even the active water intrusion can be hard to spot until it progresses. This drone image shows a 8″ cap that was at one point installed into the 10″ flue termination. As you can see, the end result is wind removing the chimney cap, sometimes turning it into a giant metal frisbee (huge liability issue). When you are having your chimney cap replaced ask for proof of measurement. This issue could not be seen from ground level (it was blocked by the shroud) and the client was … Continued

A roofing disaster

January 10, 2019 | A Day in the Life

On one of my inspections yesterday, I encountered an absolute mess of a job performed by a roofer I will not mention. A new roof was installed a few months ago without replacing the chimney step and counter flashing and now the deteriorated flashing has started to allow water intrusion into the home. The roofer was called out again and this was the initial fix: 🤦‍♂️ Not only did they not replace the flashing (again), they covered the cracks on the crown with sealant that I now have to remove before correctly repairing the crown. All of this could have been prevented if the job was done correctly in the first place and it would have also prevented the water damage that is now inside of the home.

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