2nd Generation Chimneys, Inc. Blog: Posts Tagged ‘chimney cleaning’

How to Prepare Your Fireplace for the End of the Year

Monday, October 7th, 2024
fireplace-fire-burning

As the air turns crisp and the leaves begin to fall, the cozy allure of a warm fire in your fireplace becomes increasingly inviting. At 2nd Generation Chimneys, we believe that a well-prepared fireplace not only enhances your home’s ambiance but also ensures the safety and efficiency of your heating system. Preparing your fireplace for the end of the year is crucial, and with a few simple steps, you can enjoy a season filled with warmth and comfort. 

Here’s how to get your fireplace ready for the chilly months ahead. Whether you use a gas fireplace, wood-burning fireplace, or electric fireplace inserts in Minneapolis, MN, you can count on our expert team to provide you with any assistance you may need.

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Ways to Tell You’re Overdue for Chimney Cleaning

Monday, June 17th, 2024
chimney-cleaning

As a homeowner, maintaining your chimney is crucial for ensuring the safety and efficiency of your fireplace. Ignoring regular chimney cleaning can lead to various hazards, including chimney fires, carbon monoxide poisoning, and reduced heating efficiency. Here are some key signs that indicate you’re overdue for a chimney cleaning.

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Understanding Creosote Build-Up: How It Affects Your Chimney and Home

Monday, May 20th, 2024
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As experts in HVAC and chimney services at 2nd Generation Chimneys, we understand the importance of educating homeowners about the often overlooked but critical issue of creosote build-up in chimneys. Creosote is a byproduct of burning wood, and while it may seem harmless at first, its accumulation in your chimney can pose serious risks to your home and family. In this blog post, we’ll delve into what creosote is, how it starts, why it’s a problem, and why it’s essential to rely on professional chimney cleaners for regular chimney cleaning.

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How Modern Chimney Sweeps Do Their Jobs

Monday, April 22nd, 2024
chimney-sweep

In the quaint imaginations of many, chimney sweeps conjure up images of soot-covered figures dancing atop rooftops, reminiscent of scenes from classic literature or movies. (A certain Disney film comes to mind.) Yet, the reality of modern chimney sweeping is far removed from these romanticized depictions. As a leading chimney contractor, 2nd Generation Chimneys is here to shed light on the evolution of chimney sweep services and how we do our jobs in the 21st century.

Gone are the days of manual labor and primitive tools. Today’s chimney sweeps are equipped with advanced techniques and state-of-the-art equipment to ensure thorough and efficient cleaning. At 2nd Generation Chimneys, we pride ourselves on staying at the forefront of industry advancements, delivering exceptional service with every sweep.

So, what exactly sets modern chimney sweeps apart from their predecessors? Let’s delve into the methods and tools that define our profession today.

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Here Are Risks You Need to Know About Your Chimney

Monday, December 4th, 2023
chimney-cap

Using a fireplace in a home is one of the great joys of the winter season, and we’re certain you’re looking forward to spending time with your family around the roaring hearth. But before we get too deep into the fireplace season, we want to talk to you about some of the dangers that might lurk in your chimney.

Chimneys and fireplaces need special attention, and it’s our job to provide our customers with the best in chimney inspections and chimney cleaning in Minneapolis, MN to ensure they can stay safe and cozy each year.

Let’s look at several of the common issues that might make your chimney unsafe and the best ways to deal with them or prevent them.

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The Importance of Winter Chimney Cleaning

Monday, November 6th, 2023
chim-scan-inside

Although there are many times during the year when you can enjoy a roaring fire in your fireplace, winter is the time when you’ll use it the most. There are few joys greater during a cold Minnesota winter than sitting in front of a glowing and warm fire. It’s the textbook definition of the word cozy.

But you can’t expect to head into the winter with your fireplace without taking some important steps to care for it. One of the most important is to arrange for professional chimney sweeping in Edina, MN. Chimney cleaning is an essential part of fireplace maintenance and safety. Although there are some basic fireplace cleaning jobs you can do on your own, chimney cleaning requires trained and certified chimney sweeps. Let’s discuss why winter chimney cleaning is so important.

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Common Problems a Chimney Inspection May Reveal

Monday, October 23rd, 2023
chimney

A well-maintained chimney is crucial to keep your fireplace working well for many years and to ensure the fireplace doesn’t create safety hazards. A key part of maintaining your chimney is to schedule routine professional inspections for it.

We recommend having an inspection in Edina, MN done once a year. You can arrange for the service with our pros. We’ll carefully inspect your chimney to locate and address any problems before they can worsen into more expensive repairs or a safety risk.

If you’re wondering what we’re looking for specifically during an inspection, just follow us below. You’ll have a better idea of why these inspections are so important once you know what we might find.

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What Sets Professional Chimney Sweeps Apart

Monday, September 25th, 2023
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If you have a fireplace in your home, you’ll need to have it routinely cleaned. This is an essential job because it helps keep the chimney working both effectively and safely. Allowing too much buildup to develop in a chimney will lead to bad venting and fire hazards.

But when it’s time for chimney cleaning in Bloomington, MN, who do you hire for the job? You have several options, but only one is the correct on:

  1. Get out some drop cloths, put on an old T-shirt, grab a broom and a ladder, and do it yourself.
  2. Find someone offering super-low prices to do the job.
  3. Hire professional chimney sweeps with proper certification.

The correct answer is “C.” We’ll explain why professional chimney sweeps stand apart from DIY and amateurs. Why they are the only people to consider hiring for your regular chimney and fireplace cleaning needs.

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Animals That Can Get in Your Chimney

Monday, August 28th, 2023
stork-nest-on-chimney

Chimney cleaning in Minneapolis, MN is a job we recommend homeowners have scheduled regularly, especially for wood-burning fireplaces that leave behind creosote. But creosote isn’t the only reason you may need to have chimney cleaning: animals often get inside chimneys to nest.

Animals will not only create blockages, they can also be dangerous—and removing them often must be left to expert chimney cleaners. We have a lot of experience with the types of critters that like to set up homes inside Minnesota chimneys. Here are the most common ones that might choose your chimney for a temporary home.

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Can I Do My Own Chimney Cleaning?

Monday, August 14th, 2023
chimney-trees

On this site, we emphasize the importance of having regular chimney and chimney flue cleaning in Minneapolis, MN. We recommend a yearly cleaning along with a Level 1 chimney inspection to ensure the chimney is free of buildup of creosote and anything that may block it, and to check for possible damage and wear that needs repairs.

But are professionals like ours really necessary? You might wonder if you can clean the chimney yourself. Maybe you can find an online video tutorial. With a face mask, a set of old clothes, tarps on the ground, a few scrubbers on long handles, and a bit of elbow grease, you should be able to get the job done. Right…?

Although we encourage you to handle some chimney maintenance tasks on your own, the actual job of cleaning a chimney is something to leave to the professionals. We’ll explain why below.

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