by Billy Sweet | Feb 28, 2018 | Smoke Chamber
The smoke chamber is an important part of the fireplace and chimney system, because it helps the smoke find its way up the flue. The space where you see the fire burning is the firebox. The smoke rises up, and the next place you see it is the top of the flue. No one sees what goes on behind the scenes, but just above the firebox and below the flue is the smoke chamber, which is essential for an efficient chimney.
The Smoke Chamber’s Job
The smoke chamber consists of a slanted wall to direct the smoke up, and a shelf, called a smoke shelf, that keeps the smoke from falling back into the firebox. While the smoke is in the smoke chamber, the hot air, gases, and smoke mix together before rising up the chimney. Since heat rises, it assists the rest of the smoke in pushing up the chimney.
Maintaining the Smoke Chamber
Just like the rest of the chimney system, the smoke chamber should be maintained in order to be safe and efficient over time. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), the smoke chamber should be parged smooth with a refractory insulated mortar mix, which directs the air across a smooth surface, while protecting the masonry from high heat. Even if your smoke chamber has never been parged, you can likely restore it to code compliance by scheduling a smoke chamber parge.
If you have an older fireplace, your smoke chamber may have tiered brick steps that form the smoke chamber. This may have worked for years, but it is far less efficient than a smoothly parged wall. The multiple joints and bricks of a non-parged smoke chamber can allow soot and creosote buildup. This slows air, making the rest of the chimney less efficient.
Hire a Professional
You don’t have to hire a master mason to parge your smoke chamber, but it’s definitely to your benefit to hire a certified chimney sweep. Billy Sweet Chimney Sweeps are CSIA-certified and experienced in restoring chimney systems to proper function. Whether your smoke chamber needs a simple repair, or if it’s never been parged before, we’ll take care of your chimney, and you’ll be surprised with how well it works. Parging the smoke chamber raises efficiency, generates less heat lost up the chimney, and requires fewer chimney sweeps than other systems. A more efficient system means less likelihood of a flue fire, less wood wasted to reach the desired temperature, and less necessary maintenance.
If you have not had your chimney inspected in the last 12 months, now is the time to do so. You may need to have your chimney cleaned, parts replaced, or your smoke chamber may need to be parged. Without scheduling an appointment with a chimney expert, you will never know.
Contact Billy Sweet Chimney Sweep today. Call 617-469-4528 or schedule an appointment online.
by Billy Sweet | Feb 12, 2018 | Fireplace Ashes
If you burn wood in a fireplace, insert, or stove, you probably have your fair share of ashes to deal with. If you don’t remove the ashes regularly, you probably have a mess on your hands. Ashes are a necessary product of wood heat. It accumulates fast, can be a pain, and can even affect the way your fireplace works. What can you do with all those ashes?
Remove Ashes Regularly
Ashes will build up in your fireplace, insert, or stove fairly quickly if you don’t remove them regularly—especially if you burn a fire every day. You should clean the firebox of ashes before it accumulates higher than your hot coals. Once the ashes get this high, it can interfere with lighting a fire, can fall out of the fireplace, can crowd your firebox, and prevent you from adding enough wood to reach the desired temperature.
Remove Ashes Safely
You should use appropriate tools to remove ashes because ashes may be hot for several hours even after the fire goes out. You can purchase fireplace accessories and tools at a local home improvement store that are manufactured for safety and strength. Use a long-handled shovel to scoop ashes from the firebox, and dispose of them in a metal bucket. Along with your tools for ash removal, you can also buy long, leather gloves to protect your hands and wrists from high temperatures. Some may also need to wear a face mask to protect from ash inhalation. Carry the bucket out of the house and allow to cool at least five feet from the house. Many homeowners choose to store ashes in a larger container such as a metal trash can with a lid, to use later.
Ways to Use Wood Ash
Make sure you leave some ash in your firebox (at least ¼ inch), because it insulates the bottom. The rest can be stored and used as you see fit.
- Add ashes to your garden to change the acidity of the soil. You can test your soil with the help of your local co-op or university extension office, then you will know how much ash to add.
- Mix ashes and water to polish silver, clean ovens, pans, and more.
- Pour ashes on sidewalks and driveways to prevent slips during icy weather.
- Use ashes to clean up oil spills in your garage, carport, or driveway.
- Sprinkle ashes around the outside of your garden and in between rows to deter bugs and slugs.
- Dust ashes into the coats of pets to neutralize odors (especially helpful after a skunk attack).
- Use the ashes to make lye which can be used to make homemade soap.
Know Your System
You may have a built-in ash disposal system in your fireplace. Many older model homes with a traditional, masonry fireplace have an ash dump—a hole in the fireplace where ashes can be dropped and disposed of safely. This ash dump should be cleaned by a professional chimney sweep regularly. The experts at the Chimney Safety Institute of America recommend cleaning your entire system of ash at the end of burn season. Keeping your chimney system clean by scheduling regular chimney sweeps will prevent damage and trouble during the summer like smells and drafts.
Call Billy Sweet Chimney Sweep at 617-469-4528 now, and schedule your chimney maintenance.
by Billy Sweet | Jan 23, 2018 | Chimney Maintenance
As a homeowner, it is important to know your fireplace and chimney system. How you use and maintain it will determine its safety and efficiency. Using the system improperly can make it difficult to light and maintain a fire. Your fire’s heat, beauty, and safety starts with the damper.
Get to Know Your System
If you have a traditional open-hearth fireplace, your damper may be adjustable. Other systems, including many styles of pre-fab fireplace appliances only have two settings: open or closed. If you have a closed unit such as an insert or stove, you can safely close your damper without exposing your home to smoke and carbon monoxide. However, closing the damper will cause your coals to smolder, increasing the amount of creosote produced. Some homeowners allow coals to smolder in a stove overnight, but this practice means you will need more frequent chimney maintenance.
Lighting the Fire
Your fire needs oxygen to burn, no matter what type of fireplace or appliance you have. While you are lighting your fire, the damper should be fully opened to allow air to flow freely. If your appliance has a vent, this should be opened so that it pulls air out of the room, into the fire, and out the chimney. Without adequate airflow, your kindling and wood shavings may burn, but will not light your wood. This will waste time and kindling as you repeat this process until your fire is lit.
Maintaining the Fire
Once your fire begins to catch, the heat will begin to rise up the chimney along with the smoke. To avoid losing too much heat through the chimney, but continue to allow adequate ventilation, close the damper halfway. If your damper only has two settings (open or closed), you need to leave your damper open to avoid smoke and carbon monoxide exposure.
Saving Money
Open fireplaces lose heat, sometimes costing homeowners 3 times the amount of wood and utilities. You can improve efficiency of your system by installing an insert directly into your existing firebox. You can save money during the summer by choosing an energy-saving damper for your open fireplace. Avoid issues with your fireplace, chimney, and avoid wasting time, money, and resources by burning the proper wood and using the system correctly. Using the damper properly can save you more than money. Protecting your family from carbon monoxide exposure can save lives.
Billy Sweet Chimney Sweep installs, repairs, and replaces dampers. If you aren’t satisfied with your throat damper, we can install an energy top damper that will save you money year-round. We can be your choice for comprehensive chimney maintenance for all four seasons, and we’re just a phone call away. Call Billy Sweet Chimney Sweep at 617-469-4528 or make an appointment using our online scheduling tool today.
by Billy Sweet | Jan 9, 2018 | Fire Safety
January has the highest amount of house fires in a calendar year. Whether it’s from heat appliances, kitchen equipment, electronics, or clothes dryers, these fires account for an unnecessary loss of property and life each year. Not only does a high concentration of residential fires occur in January, but they also happen oftentimes overnight, while homeowners are asleep.
House fires are an unwelcome and dangerous surprise, but one that can be prevented. When they can’t be prevented, preparation can help save your life. Half the battle is remembering fire safety when using household appliances—especially your fireplace.
Your Safest Fire
You may have the most advanced, top-of-the-line fire appliance with the highest safety rating on the market, but if you don’t operate it correctly, and with safety in mind, it will not be safe. It will actually be dangerous.
- Know your appliance.
Whether you have a fireplace, stove, or insert, read your owner’s guide and get to know the parts. Not sure how to use a damper? Learn how the damper can help you light a fire and keep your family safe by using it properly. Your stove may have a shaker to drop ashes out of the fire box. It may have a hopper to feed pellets to the fire. Get to know your appliance BEFORE your first burn.
- Burn proper fuel.
You should only burn properly seasoned wood in your wood insert, stove, or fireplace. Your gas fireplace should be connected to a natural gas line by a gas company. Your pellet appliance should only burn manufactured pellet products. Burning the wrong type of fuel in your fireplace can bring down efficiency, damage the system, and even raise the risk of fire. Your flue liner may not be appropriate or safe for all fuel types. Know your appliance, and burn the correct fuel for your appliance.
- Use fireplace accessories.
Special, long-handled accessories can help you maintain your fire safely. You can purchase these accessories at a home improvement store and they should include a shovel, poker, and broom. While you’re at it, you can purchase leather gloves to protect your hands from burns and extreme temperatures.
- Never leave a fire unattended.
Once a fire is burning in a fireplace, it shouldn’t be left until it is out. Never leave children unattended around a fire, and utilize glass doors, screens, and gates to prevent accidental falls and burns.
- Dispose of ash periodically.
If ash is allowed to build up in the firebox, it can become crowded, causing hot ashes, coals, and even flaming logs to fall out of the fire. Dispose of ash safely and leave a thin layer of ¼ inch to insulate and protect the bottom of the firebox.
- Install smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors.
Check the batteries regularly, and practice fire drills with your family. Plan an escape route (that includes 2 ways out) and practice it with your entire family, including children.
Contact Us Today
It’s important to remember that firefighting is for firefighters. It’s not a job for homeowners with fire extinguishers. If you have a flue fire, you won’t be able to access it before it puts your life in danger. The best way to keep your family safe throughout winter is to practice fire safety, make sure your chimney system is clean and safe, and prepare for an emergency, just in case. It may save your life.
Call Billy Sweet Chimney Sweep and let us help you have your safest fire this winter.
by Billy Sweet | Dec 26, 2017 | CSIA Certification
Every year there are approximately 22,000 residential house fires due to the fireplace, chimney, or chimney connector. These fires surpass those caused by other heat sources, cooking equipment, electrical wiring, and large appliances. Chimneys can be the most dangerous thing in your house; because if it isn’t maintained properly, it doesn’t hold a fire. Likewise, if it isn’t maintained properly, it won’t vent the fire. House fires lead to property loss, injuries, and death. Carbon monoxide intrusion caused by venting issues can lead to irreparable damage, medical costs, and death. Protect against property loss, lost money, and endangering your family by having your chimney system regularly maintained by a professional. 
The CSIA Difference
The Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) is aware of the hazard a faulty fireplace and chimney system can be. Since its establishment in 1983, CSIA has become the national standard for the chimney industry, making a goal to bring down the number of residential house fires and saving lives in the process.
Accreditation
The CSIA credential meets the highest standards of education and is regulated by the Indiana State Workforce Innovation Council, Office of Career and Technical Schools to this day.
Non-Profit Organization
The CSIA is a non-profit organization whose mission is the elimination of residential fires, and it’s governed by industry professionals from across the country to further this mission.
Code of Ethics
When a chimney sweep earns CSIA certification, he or she must abide by a stringent code of ethics designed to protect homeowners from scams in this under-regulated field. If a sweep is found to be in violation, certification can be revoked.
Continuing Education
A CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep® (CCS) must complete classroom and field training before passing an exam which includes a portion on chimney sweeping, and a portion based on the International Residential Code (2016). After three years, sweeps must recertify through examination or continued education credits to keep up with a changing field and safety standards.
Protect Your Home and Family
When it’s time for your car maintenance, replacing your roof, or treating a bad tooth, you don’t cut corners. You hire the professionals. Don’t cut corners when maintaining and repairing the most appealing and most dangerous part of your home. Call the professionals who are licensed, certified, and insured so that your chimney gets the best care possible.
Billy Sweet Chimney Sweep has provided the highest level of customer service and comprehensive chimney care in the Boston, North Shore, and Portland area for over 30 years. The difference is the CSIA difference. Our goal is customer safety and comfort. We offer CSIA inspections and chimney sweeps to keep your chimney safe and efficient. We sell, install, and service the best products on the market, and we repair chimneys and hearth products year-round.
There is still time to have your chimney serviced to prevent chimney fires and winter damage this season. Call Billy Sweet Chimney Sweep today. Dial 617-469-4528 or use our online scheduling tool for your convenience.
