Author: Mark Linville

The Importance of Chimney Caps

Posted on November 20, 2017 by - Chimney Care

The Importance of Chimney Caps

Is it safe to say that you are another mortgage holder with an old chimney? Assuming this is the case, you may not see that it’s feeling the loss of a chimney cap. A few property holders in the past didn’t perceive their significance, and frequently they weren’t added to their chimney. Chimney caps are likewise regularly dismissed in light of the fact that they are low support and “out of the picture, therefore irrelevant”.

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The Chimney Cap Keeps Wildlife Out

Amid the an ordinary winter, there are various little creatures that may look for shield in a warm and dry condition like a chimney such as chipmunks, squirrels, and even raccoons. In the spring, you will probably discover winged animals settling in your fireplace. These creatures can leave combustible flotsam and jetsam, make blockages, and even suffocate and die. It can be hard to expel creatures from the fireplace humanely. In this manner it’s less demanding and regularly less expensive to keep this event at bay by introducing a chimney cap!

The Chimney Cap Keeps Sparks In

Amid an especially hot fire, sparks and coals can rise rapidly up the vent alongside vapors and a solid updraft. The standard chimney cap plan highlights both a cover and a screen that holds these stray particles into the flue. Without the top, these sparks can get away from the stack’s opening and touch dry leaves and garbage on the rooftop. This can cause both loss of property and life.

What are the distinctive sorts of stack tops?

Diverse chimney cap varieties have their own individual advantages. How about we take a gander at a couple of the most well known tops:

Standard Chimney Cap – This top incorporates screening on all sides to keep creatures from settling in your stack. It likewise traps vast sparks that advance up your vent when your chimney or wood stove is being used.

Draft-Increasing Chimney Cap – This sort of top uses outside breeze to make more grounded updrafts. This kind is best for chimneys that have existing issues with drafts. Its drawback is that it utilizes turning turbines that can progress toward becoming built up with smoke and ash after some time.

Lock Top Damper Chimney Cap – Damper caps come furnished with a stainless-steel cover appended to the casing. A long link drops down the smokestack, which is worked by a handle that is mounted in the firebox. This takes into account brisk and secure shutting of the bolt top at the property holder’s comfort. The damper can likewise be secured in the vacant position amid a fire.

Contract a Professional

Having a chimney cap introduced is perhaps the best thing you can improve the situation of your stack. It’s one preventive advance that has a major effect, and ought to be joined with proficient establishment and also routine upkeep like smokestack assessments and ranges. When you procure an expert like Chimney Sweeps West, you get an expert assurance, as well as fit you with the best top for your particular stack.

Why You Should Install a Chimney Cap

Posted on November 13, 2017 by - Chimney Care

While you may not be personally acquainted with the life systems of your home’s chimney or fireplace, a chimney cap assumes a critical part in your home’s chimney framework. In the event that your home doesn’t as of now have one, here are five reasons why you ought to consider introducing a chimney cap.

How Often Do You Need to Clean Your Chimney?

Posted on October 30, 2017 by - Chimney Care

How Often Do You Need to Clean Your Chimney?

The reason to hire a chimney sweep is to evacuate ash, blockages and developed creosote from your fireplace liner, firebox, smoke chamber and damper. This cleaning will help make a more secure operation of your chimney amid the warming season. It takes just a little gathering of creosote to make the potential for a chimney fire. Creosote is an exceptionally combustible substance that develops inside your fireplace or liner because of consuming wood. The rate of gathering can be higher on the off chance that you use the wrong woods or have a consuming machine or stove that isn’t functioning correctly. Diverse sorts of wood make their own measures of creosote when consumed. Pine causes a quick deposit of creosote and ought to be avoided to keep down potential build up. Creosote can likewise lessen the draw of the chimney and decrease proficiency.

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Fireplace Inspections ought to be booked once every year.

To make sure that the greater part of your frameworks are in working order and working as they should, it is prescribed that mortgage holders get a yearly chimney examination. Most mortgage holders pick to have a Chimney Cleaning done each year too, particularly on the off chance that they utilize their chimney all the time. Other venting frameworks associated with heaters and stoves ought to likewise be cleaned all the time to keep up more secure operation. Chimney, stove, heater and warming apparatus frameworks are essential to your home and family’s security and not a territory to disregard or cut corners on. Try not to chance the possibility that an unfamiliar deformity could transform into a costly repair or more regrettable yet – a chimney fire.

In the event that you just have minor utilization of your chimney or stove, a review is as yet exhorted every year to take a gander at all warming venting frameworks, chimney, stove frameworks and heater pipes. During these inspections any defects or issues that may be found that require action even if cleaning is not needed. When you have a regular chimney sweet that you utilize, they will for the most part put you on a yearly examination plan. Amid these examinations they will prompt you on the off chance that the time has come to get a cleaning.

When Do I Need A Chimney Inspection?

On the off chance that you haven’t had your chimney investigated in a year or more, in the event that you are having any ventilation issues with your chimney, chimney or warming framework or on the off chance that you recently moved into the home you should plan an examination. Try not to wait – holding up quite often brings about extra repairs, and now and then in property misfortune.

In the event that you have not utilized your chimney in quite a while, bugs may have constructed homes that could stop up your vent or fireplace chamber. Winter freeze cycles and dampness consolidate to take a yearly toll on stone work and liner materials as well. Ordinary wear and tear that is left unchecked will influence the execution of your framework.

What is the Best Time to Clean my Chimney?

In a perfect world, before the beginning of the consuming season amid the spring, summer or early fall is an incredible time to get your chimney investigation and/or fireplace cleaning. Before you consider building a fire or starting your heater on the grounds that the climate has changed, is an ideal opportunity to call your chimney sweep. Perhaps you overlooked the early cleaning before beginning to utilize the chimney, stove or heater? Try not to wait until the fall, we can do your chimney cleaning or examination whatever time of the year.

Make sure your chimney is clean for holiday visitors Check out our Knoxville Office!

Fall Chimney Inspections

Posted on October 23, 2017 by - Chimney Care

Fall Chimney Inspections

Winter is almost here again, and as you’d know, there are many wonderful things you can enjoy during the winter months. The cool air, hearty soups and hot chocolate can be surprisingly refreshing. But winter is also the time of the holiday season, and in the weeks leading up to the holidays you’ll barely have time for anything other than preparations for when friends and families come over.

Get a head start on your winter preparations this year! Check your home inside out for maintenance tasks you can do before winter. Getting a chimney inspection before winter is also a vital part of keeping your family safe.

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Winter Chimney Safety Tips

To keep your chimney safe, it’s always best to have it inspected by a qualified chimney professional before winter. Doing so can help you avoid a nasty chimney fire during the festive season. After all, the last thing you’d want over the holidays is to lose time with friends and family over a house fire!

During inspection, a chimney professional will clean out your chimney and check for any structural issues, like cracks, missing mortar and other potential problems. Your chimney professional will also check for any animals, like birds that have made their nest in the chimney.

When to Get a Chimney Inspection

There’s no right or wrong time to get your chimney inspected. When you get your chimney will depend on some of the following factors:

  • The date of your last professional chimney inspection: To practice good chimney safety, the Chimney Safety Institute of America recommends that you get an annual chimney inspection by a professional. If you don’t even know when last your chimney was inspected, now is definitely a good time to call your local chimney sweeps.
  • How long you’ve been living in your home: If you just moved into a new place, it’s best to have your chimney inspected before you use the fireplace this winter.
  • Changes to your chimney system: If you’ve made any changes to your chimney or fireplace, it’s recommended to get an inspection done before you make a fire again.
  • Your chimney’s odor: If you were smelling smoke or other foul odors last time you used your fireplace, it’s definitely time for a chimney inspection. If your chimney smells bad even when you aren’t using it, that’s also a sign that your chimney needs to be cleaned and inspected.

Remember, when there’s debris hiding in your chimney, it can catch fire. Creosote buildup can also cause your chimney to start leaking smoke and carbon monoxide into your home. Because carbon monoxide is a toxic gas, this can have serious implications on your family’s health.

The Three Levels of Chimney Inspections

When it comes to getting your chimney inspected, there are three different kinds of checks your chimney professional can perform:

  • Level 1: This level of inspection is for when you annually have your chimney inspected and you know it was in good shape last time you used it.
  • Level 2: The Chimney Safety Institute of America recommends a level 2 chimney inspection if you moved into a new house, or when changes have been made to your chimney.
  • Level 3: A level 3 inspection is only required when either a level 1 or 2 inspection reveals that there are serious problems with your chimney that need to be fixed. A level 3 inspection will include the costs of removing and replacing chimney components that are no longer functional. If your chimney is visibly damaged and crumbling to pieces, you’ll also need a level 3 inspection.

If you’re unsure about getting your chimney inspected, it’s always best to simply go with a level 1 inspection. While a level 2 inspection is certainly recommended under certain circumstances, getting a level 1 inspection is better than doing no maintenance on your chimney at all. After doing a level 1 inspection, your chimney professional will also be able to tell you if there will be additional repair costs for your chimney. Should any part of your chimney look suspicious after a level 1 inspection, further investigation will need to be done, which would require you to do a level 2 inspection.

Choosing Professional Chimney Sweep Services

When you choose a chimney sweep, you’re trusting this professional with the health and safety of your family. Just as you wouldn’t go to just any doctor, you shouldn’t work with just any professional chimney sweeps.

Unfortunately, there are some chimney sweeps out there who aren’t even chimney sweeps at all. These people will charge you for a chimney inspection and will then disappear with your money without ever providing the service you paid for. To protect yourself against these malicious characters, you have a responsibility to research any professional chimney sweep before hiring them. Some important things to look at when choosing a chimney sweep include:

  • Brick and mortar location: More than anything else, a brick and mortar location is a sign that you’re working with a real professional chimney sweep business.
  • Customer reviews: Even when you work with a real business, reviews from previous customers can help you find the best value for your money.
  • Reasonable pricing: Granted, you don’t want to simply choose the chimney sweeps that give you the lowest quote, but if you get a quote that is well above the normal market price for a chimney inspection, the business is overcharging you. You should be able to get a reliable business without having to pay hundreds of dollars more for your inspection.

If you would like to get ahead on your winter preparations this year, feel free to contact Chimney Sweeps West in Knoxville, TN for a quote on a professional inspection for your chimney.

Tips on How to Choose a Chimney Repair Contractor

Posted on September 25, 2017 by - Chimney Care

Tips on How to Choose a Chimney Repair Contractor

There are approaches to protect yourself and settle on an educated choice. These tips will ensure that you wind up with a trustworthy chimney repair contractor and pay a reasonable cost for the work done.

We as a whole have known about the news stories about rascals who trick mortgage holders out of deposits for terrible work, non-existent work or notwithstanding for work that never should have been started. The Chimney Sweep business is a prime domain for these con-artists to work. Since numerous clueless purchasers are not taught about chimneys, stoves, warming machines and their smokestacks or venting frameworks they are regularly deceived by these hoodlums. A large portion of these operations begin with a telephone call offering uncommon low costs. When they are at your home, they may propose repairs that are required or security issues that should be tended to.

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Protect Your Home

The best possible operation and upkeep of your smokestack, stove or heater frameworks are of outrageous significance. Taking risks by procuring a chimney repair contractor in light of value alone can spell genuine inconvenience for your home and your wallet. The “savings” you may understand, will dissipate rapidly if the work is never done or not done up to industry models. When settling on a Chimney repair contractor picking a respectable and very much qualified organization will guarantee the most secure answer for ensuring your home and family. Try not to take risks with this critical choice.

Don’t Hire in light of a Chimney Sweep Solicitation

Leave con artists speechless, telephone specialists that guarantee low costs for fireplace services ought to be disregarded. Do your exploration on the web and ask these questions when you call your decisions.

Make Sure Your Chimney Sweep Company is Insured

Try not to be reluctant to inquire as to whether the Chimney Sweep Company has protection that would ensure against harm that may happen in your home, or to representatives that are working at your home. Discover precisely what their insurance covers, making inquiries can help to avoid hazards. On the off chance that the chimney repair contractor has no scope and gets harmed or harms your home you will assume the risk.

Insist on an Appointment Time Window

No one wants to stick around throughout the day for a temporary worker to arrive late. When making your arrangement the Chimney Sweep you pick ought to have the capacity to give you a window of a couple of hours in which the professional will arrive. On the off chance that the temporary worker you are meeting is uncertain when they will arrive or not certain they will arrive at all, it is then time to find a different, more reliable company.

Ask For Current References

Any legitimate Chimney Sweep organization ought to have the capacity to give names and telephone numbers of clients that are in your general region. Try not to delay making a snappy call to ensure the reference was satisfied with the organization. There are no reasons for not giving a reference when inquired.

Hire the Right Chimney Repair Contractors

Posted on September 11, 2017 by - Chimney Care

Hire the Right Chimney Repair Contractors

Regular chimney repair and maintenance is an essential maintenance step to keep your home safe. Your fireplace keeps you warm in the winter, but without your chimney, there wouldn’t be a way for the fire and harmful gases to stay in your fireplace only. With winter approaching, now is the perfect time to have your chimney inspected and repaired before you use it this winter. But how will you find a chimney repaired contractor in Knoxville, TN that will value your chimney safety as much as you do?

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Choosing a Chimney Sweep

Despite the importance of chimney safety, there’s a large amount of chimney sweeps out there who aren’t capable of helping you keep your chimney safe. And unfortunately choosing the wrong chimney could end up costing you way more than just the money you wasted on a job poorly done. Even a small house fire could result in damage that costs way more than any chimney inspection ever would.

Doing a bit of research before hiring a Knoxville chimney sweep will help you choose a contractor you feel comfortable with, ensuring that you have the peace of mind you deserve after your annual chimney inspection.

Here are some helpful questions you could ask a chimney repair contractor before hiring them:

  • Certifications: While a certification isn’t a guarantee of good service, it shows that you’re working with a business that’s willing to invest in reassuring you that the job will be done well. Good certifications for chimney sweeps include registration with the CSIA or another established non-profit entity.
  • Experience: When you hire a chimney repair contractor that’s been in business for a few years, you’re more likely to get what you pay for. Businesses that don’t deliver a good service often disappear as fast as arrive on the scene.
  • Insurance: Ask any chimney repair contractor you’re considering hiring whether they have any liability insurance to protect your home and belongings in case of an accident.

Even after asking all the most important questions, it’s still important that you choose a business you feel comfortable with. Don’t feel pressured into choosing a business if you don’t feel like they truly care about your best interests. Chimney safety is about keeping your home and family safe, and a contractor that cares about delivering good service will understand that you want to hire someone who realizes the importance of chimney safety.

How Important Is Certifications?

As mentioned before, certification is a good sign of a professional chimney contractor. In many cases, this certification also indicates that the business is concerned with ongoing education to keep up with the latest news in fire safety and chimney repairs. However, there are also certified chimney sweeps who care more about getting certifications to make you feel a false sense of trust, even though they don’t care about delivering good service to their customers. In this case, you might feel like you can rely on the certification, only to end up with a chimney that’s no safer after the inspection than before.

Because of this reviews and references should still be a step in choosing the right business to work with. You want to work with a business that has a reputation of doing the job properly. One that gives friendly service and cares about making your home safer.

So while certifications are certainly an important step in choosing a chimney sweep, as a customer, you deserve to ask more questions and do more research before choosing a company to work with. Standards for getting certified with any specific entity aren’t always high enough, making it too easy for chimney sweeps to obtain certifications. This is usually the case when the organization that offers a certification is more concerned about making it easy for businesses to get the certification rather than being concerned about your best interests as a homeowner.

The most well-known and trusted organization regulating chimney safety in the US is the Chimney Safety Institute of America. However, after certification, the CSIA has little control over how chimney contractors run their businesses, and so they encourage customers to report any gross misconduct from accredited business.

If the chimney sweep business is registered with the Better Business Bureau, the CSIA encourages customers to check if there are any unresolved complaints. Checking a business’s online reviews and social media can also help you to see how the business responds to negative feedback in the case of disagreements.

Chimney Sweeps West: Chimney Repair Contractors in Knoxville

If you would like to hire a chimney professional before the winter is here, feel free to call Chimney Sweeps West. At Chimney Sweeps West, we understand that your safety comes first. Our passion is helping to keep you safe, and so meeting customers who care about chimney safety brings us joy, as we know these people understand the importance of regular chimney maintenance. This helps us build long-lasting, mutually beneficial business relationships with homeowners who like to stay safe.

Why Your Chimney Might Smell Badly This Summer

Posted on August 28, 2017 by - Chimney Care

Why Your Chimney Might Smell Badly This Summer

If visitors somehow managed to stroll into your home right now, what’s the main thing you think they’d take note of? Maybe the scent radiating from your chimney was what crossed your mind; if so, don’t panic. This is a typical event for some property holders, one that is particularly predominant amid the hotter summer months. The uplifting news is help is close at hand. The experts from Chimney Sweeps West are here to help you.

Why Does My Chimney Smell So Bad?

The appropriate response here is a truly direct one: creosote. If you happened to depended intensely on your chimney this past winter and maybe utilized more wood than you’d at first arranged (some of which would not have been properly prepared), creosote could have buildup on the inward walls of your fireplace’s chimney. These deposits, when joined with the additional water in the air that is noticeable all around this season of year, can emanate a completely disagreeable fragrance. Perhaps you’ve been thinking about whether you’re the main individual who needs to manage this issue, we hope you can discover some comfort in realizing this is a typical occurrence that chimney clients have been managing for quite a long time! It’s part of the long term care that goes into your chimney.

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How Do I Rid My Home of These Smells?

Creosote odors tend to linger. They saturate your smokestack’s permeable stone work and never seem to dissipate. In any case, you can try to treat the issue to help prevent yourself, your family, and your visitors from being driven out by the stench. The professional crew at Chimney Sweeps West can come out, investigate your chimney to guarantee that the main issue is the creosote, and clear out the deposits causing the odor. Having your chimney cleaned every year is a flat out must on the off chance that you intend to make full utilization of your chimney when the climate turns icy!

An Additional Consideration for You

Perhaps you’ve had your fireplace legitimately cleaned and yet have found scents every now and then, you could likewise be having a draft issue. The dominant part of older fireplaces were built with throat-mount dampers. Their metal-on-metal construction is their downfall with regards to keeping the odor inside the fireplace. Since they can’t be completely closed when the chimney is not being used, some scent can be smelled through the opening (regardless of how little it might show up) as outside air is constrained down your smokestack. Since there’s no fire going in the chimney to make an updraft, the air has an easier time moving into your home.

As should be obvious, chimney clients around the globe battle with rancid smokestacks, particularly amid the summer months. The professionals here at Chimney Sweeps West are here to help moderate this issue (and in addition whatever other issues you may have) for you. We urge you to get in touch with us at your soonest accommodation to plan an appointment so you can come back to making the most of your scent free living space.

What’s Causing My Chimney Odor?

Posted on August 21, 2017 by - Chimney Care

Having a nasty smell coming from your chimney is NOT something you want to wake up to on a warm summer day. Even when you aren’t using it, your chimney can cause your house to smell. The main culprit is usually creosote buildup, but there are a few things to consider when it comes to foul chimney odors.

Different Types of Chimney Odor

Most chimney odor simply smells a bit like smoke. That’s because the smoke leaving your chimney causes buildup of creosote and soot over time. This residue will have a tendency to buildup faster if you use woods in your chimney that don’t burn as well.

To delay creosote buildup in your chimney, it’s always best to stick to well-seasoned hard woods. But even when using the right kinds of firewood, your chimney will still need a cleaning from time to time.

Apart from creosote and soot buildup, however, there are things that can cause your chimney to smell bad. And in some cases it won’t smell like smoke at all.

Cases where your chimney might smell bad for reasons other than creosote buildup include:

  • Mold: This isn’t a problem that should normally be present in chimneys, but if your chimney smells moldy, it might be because you have a roof leak. The wetness of the leak creates the perfect conditions for mold to grow in your chimney. This problem can be fixed by having your roof checked. Only once the leak is fixed, have your chimney cleaned. After all, there’s no use in cleaning your chimney without fixing the underlying problem first.
  • Animals: There are precautions you can take to keep animals out of your chimney. However, homeowners often don’t realize how easily animals try to get into the home through a chimney. Birds also like to make their nests there. If the smell coming from your chimney smells more like animal scats, there’s a good chance you’ve got guests. Unfortunately, animals also get stuck in the chimney occasionally, meaning that if your chimney smells like something died in there, that might very well be the case.
  • Debris: Once again, there are ways to keep leaves and other debris from entering your chimney, but many homeowners don’t know about this. Once again, this can smell moldy, rotten or perhaps even as if an animal died in your chimney.

Those are the main chimney odor problems you can expect that don’t have anything to do with creosote buildup. However, by keeping your chimney safer, even these problems can be eliminated.

It’s worthwhile to mention that keeping your chimney as dry as possible can go a long way in preventing bad odors. Anything from debris to creosote will smell worse if it gets wet.

The best way to fix your chimney odor problems is by first identifying the cause. You can do this by calling a professional chimney sweep to do an inspection. Here at Chimney Sweeps West, we have many years of experience in helping our customers fix and prevent chimney problems, so be sure to call us if you’re in Knoxville and you need help with your chimney.

How to Prevent Chimney Odor

Preventing chimney odor is actually surprisingly easy. One of the first things you can do to prevent bad odors from entering your home through your fireplace is to ensure that your chimney stays clean. You can do this by having you chimney cleaned and inspected once a year, preferably before winter so you know that it’s safe to use before making a fire.

Apart from this, you should do your best to keep debris and animals out of your chimney. Anything that gets into your chimney is not only likely to cause bad chimney odors, it’s also a fire hazard. Debris or bird’s nests in your chimney can light on fire easily, causing a problem that’s way worse than just a foul smell.

To prevent anything from getting into your chimney, you should have a proper chimney cap installed. The chimney cap will prevent some debris from getting into your chimney, but more importantly, it’s meant to keep water out. Keeping water out of your chimney will help so that any creosote buildup that might be present doesn’t get wet. This helps mainly because creosote smells worse when it’s wet. Apart from that, the cap will help keep water out to prevent mold from growing in your chimney.

To keep animals out, you should go for a chimney cap with a net.

What if My Chimney Still Smells?

Your chimney might smell because of drafts coming into your home through the chimney. Ideally, air should actually move out of your home through the chimney rather than entering your home. But sometimes the drafts don’t flow right, causing air to enter your home through the chimney.

Keeping the windows open might help for this problem somewhat. Other than that, having your chimney cleaned regularly can help a lot for this problem too.

If you recently repainted your burning stove, allowing the fireplace to burn for short intervals of time while keeping the windows open can help with chimney odors. Freshly painted or polished burning stoves have a tendency to smell rather bad for a while after being repainted, which might be another cause of foul odors from your fireplace.

Pick The Perfect Handyman Service Provider

Posted on August 14, 2017 by - Handyman Services

It is safe to say that you are searching for home rebuilding administrations? Would you like to improve the excellence of your home? It is safe to say that you are searching for jack of all trades administrations to settle harms? You have to pick the ideal jack of all trades specialist organization. You can without much of a stretch discover them close you. Simply take after a few stages to pick the best one.

Diagnosing Chimney Odors

Posted on August 7, 2017 by - Chimney Care

With a hotter climate in the forecast, your chimney is most likely one of the last things at the forefront of your thoughts at the present time. In any case, the warmth and dampness of summer can make certain things inside your smokestack discharge strong and unsavory scents, which can wind up inside your home through the chimney.