It’s February in Minnesota, which means winter isn’t letting up anytime soon. With the extreme weather we’ve been having in the Midwest lately, it’s no secret that our fireplaces have been used quite a bit. Of course, during this time of year, we expect our fireplaces to be efficient and effective, so what happens when cold air starts to seep through your chimney and directly into your home?
If your chimney is old or worn out, it is likely time for chimney repair in St. Paul, MN. More specifically though, we are talking about chimney restoration. Chimneys, although built to withstand stress, sometimes need restoration work. It is important for homeowners to be aware of the signs that suggest it is time for chimney restoration, so below, we have outlined a few of them. Keep reading below to learn more.
Yes, your wood stove’s chimney does need to be cleaned. Many homeowners assume that their wood stoves do not need chimney cleaning since they produce so little ash and combustion byproducts. However, any type of wood burning you do, whether it be in a traditional fireplace or a wood stove, will result in the need for chimney cleaning. Similar to a traditional fireplace, your wood stove has a firebox and a chimney. Over time, all chimneys collect a material called creosote, which is a byproduct of burning materials and it is highly flammable.
In the age of not only combustion boilers and furnaces but also modern technology like heat pumps and ductless mini splits, there are undoubtedly those individuals that look upon the old-fashioned fireplace/chimney combo as being a relic from the past. Those of us fortunate enough to have a well-designed and properly maintained fireplace/chimney setup, however, know different. Not only is the heat generated comforting, but the ambiance is incredibly relaxing.
The fireplace is not the most complex home heating system that homeowners today may choose to use. That does not necessarily mean that it is of a simple design, however, nor does it mean that you will never run into problems with your fireplace. It may lack the fancy mechanics of, say, a cutting-edge ductless mini split heat pump. However, there is still plenty of trouble that may develop with a fireplace. And those problems can result in dangerous conditions.
You often know when a furnace needs repair because it will not produce the right amount of heat. You know when it’s time to fix your car, as it may struggle to start up, or you could have trouble breaking. But when it comes to your home’s chimney, it can be a lot more difficult to tell. When it malfunctions, is it because it needs repair or because you’ve skipped a step while lighting the fire? And how will you know when the masonry is in dire need of some renovation?
Nothing compares to the warmth, tradition, and comfort of a wood-burning fireplace…or does it? While it was once the only fuel source option for fireplaces, most people know that fireplaces can run on all sorts of fuels these days. Electricity is one option—but one that can add up in terms of cost due to the high cost of using electricity to generate heat. That leads many to turn to an option already used to power most heaters: natural gas.
There’s nothing like the crackle of a fire on a cold night, something you may be dreaming of right now as summer temperatures leave you sweating. So when you’re looking into buying a new fireplace, you may picture that traditional look and feel: a wood fireplace that burns logs and sends smoke out through the chimney.
For most of the year, we post articles about what to do in order to prevent fires from occurring in your chimney and spreading to the outside of the home. In the summer, however, you may think you have little to worry about it.
Hopefully, you’ve heard before just how important it is to