Come on a Tour of Your Chimney

Whether you're the owner of a home with gas heating, an oil furnace, a wood fireplace, a coal stove or a pellet stove, your home likely has a chimney for ventilation purposes. All of these chimney types need chimney inspections regularly, or else your home is exposed to a number of potential dangers. You may not be able to see problems with your chimney, but that doesn't mean they aren't there.

To educate our customers, we've put together this guided chimney tour that takes a look at your chimney and explains its ventilation process, as well as where potential problems can show up if you don't have your chimney cleaned and inspected on a regular basis.

Preparing Your Fireplace for Winter

Soon enough, it will be time yet again to pack away the shorts and flip flops for the sweaters and snow boots. Yes, old man winter is coming back to town, and your fireplace should be ready for his arrival.

So, what should you do? You should have had in the spring or fall called for chimney cleaning services, to avoid damage your chimney during the season. Old soot and creosote needs to be cleaned annually.

Other things you should to prepare:

• Install a chimney cap to keep out birds and rodents from taking refuge in your chimney
• Begin to gather firewood and store it in a dry place. Or save money by purchasing a gas fireplace log
• Have the fireplace damper inspected to ensure it properly opens and closes
• Have the mortar and tuckpointing examined.

New Jersey fireplace experts Guardian Chimney can make sure you’re set for winter. Contact us today at www.GuardianChimney.com. 

Ways to Prevent Summer Rains from Ruining Your Chimney

Summer weather is mostly gorgeous, but there will be times when the weather decides not to play nice, and make things wet for you and your family. It can also have adverse effects, however, on your chimney.

Water does more damage to chimneys than fire. This might seem odd, but your chimney is exposed to all the elements. The materials used – brick, mortar, tile, steel, cast iron, etc. – can be dilapidated faster if in constant contact with water.

What all can water penetration cause?

• Broken brickwork
• Ruined metal or masonry firebox assemblies
• Corroded dampers
• Rotted wood and wall coverings
• Damaged heating system
• Ruined mortar
• Cracked flue liners

These damages mean money from your wallet for masonry repairs and more.

How can you prevent water from damaging your chimney? At Guardian Chimney, servicing New Jersey and New York chimneys, we’ve found the following works best:

A stainless steel chimney cap

• Chimney Caps
  These are one of the least costly options to prevent water damage. A strong, well built chimney cap prevents water, and most other things, from entering the chimney’s interior.
• Replace or repair your Chimney Crown
  This covers and seals the chimney top from the flue liner to the edge. A proper crown will not crack, as it should be made of a strong cement fixture.
• Waterproofing
  Brick will absorb water, hastening the chimney’s decline. Vapor permeable waterproofing agents will allow water to escape.

For more suggestions on how to prevent your chimney from being damage, contact Guardian Chimney by visiting www.GuardianChimney.com.  

Have Your Chimney Cleaned This Spring & Summer by Guardian Chimney

Your chimney becomes neglected during the warm months. A cozy fire is not needed as much, so we often put the chimney to the back of our mind, and only worry about it when fall arrives.

However, especially in cases where there is no chimney cap, your chimney can become filled with debris, like leaves and animal nests, or suffer water damage from rain entering the chimney flue.

Don’t let this happen. Just because it’s warm inside doesn’t mean your chimney is invulnerable. Contact Guardian Chimney, the New York and New Jersey chimney experts, today at 1.888.688.1388 or visit www.GuardianChimney.com to set up a time for a chimney cleaning or to have a chimney cap installed.

Guardian Chimney Can Prevent Pests from Entering Your Chimney

Spring has sprung. The air is warm, the snow is gone and your chimney is being used less by you. It’s being used, however, by others for a different purpose.

The warmer seasons provide a perfect opportunity for pests – birds, squirrels, raccoons, etc. – to take refuge in your chimney. At Guardian Chimney, the chimney cleaning and masonry repair experts for New York and New Jersey, these are the pests whose nests we encounter most often (note: Guardian Chimney does not offer pest removal service. You should contact an animal control expert to have the birds or rodents removed):

·        Chimney Swift – Chimney swifts are grey birds that breed May through July. Their chosen habitat is open structures, like open chimneys. Chimney swifts are a near threatened bird species, and therefore are protected by the Migratory Bird Act of 1918. What this means is that if chimney swifts have taken residence in your chimney, they can only be removed with proper permits.

·        Squirrels – These rodents are amazing climbers and can crawl into anything, especially open chimneys. Once down inside the chimney flue, squirrels make shelter and nests inside your chimney.

·        Rats – If you’re hearing scraping sounds from inside your chimney, then you might have a rat problem. Like squirrels, rats will make your chimney their home, building a nest and raising their rat families in your masonry’s secure confines.

·        Raccoons – For squirrels and raccoons, a chimney is no different than a big hollow tree. Raccoons love chimneys because they are safe and dry, a perfect living environment. Once they’ve established a nest, they will likely begin to have a litter.

·        Bats – Hearing twittering and rustling from inside the masonry, especially at night? Then you might have a bat problem. Bats love to take shelter in chimneys, especially those that have pulled away from the house. An easy way to tell if these creatures of the night have entered your chimney is to see if there is subtle dark staining around openings. These marks are caused by oils in the bats’ fur.

How do you prevent pests from entering your chimney? The best way is a custom-made chimney cap from Guardian Chimney. Our stainless steel, galvanized or copper tops will not only prevent rodents and other pests from entering your chimney, but it also will reduce the amount of leaves and other debris that can enter the chimney’s top.

Call Guardian Chimney today at 1.888.688.1388 or visit www.GuardianChimney.com today to learn how chimney caps can prevent a total obstruction of your chimney. You can also contact us today to schedule a chimney cleaning if you’ve recently eradicated your pest problem.