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It is summertime, and many of us are going to be enjoying our weekends outside in front of the grill. These are great times to be spent with family and friends. However, there are some things you need to keep in mind before you fire up the grill. Here are some tips to remember:

• Only use propane or charcoal grills outdoors. Never use them indoors because of the threat of carbon monoxide poisoning.
• Keep children away from any flammable liquids. They don’t always understand the dangers they may face.
• Keep the grill away from overhangs and deck railings. Also keep it away from heavy foot traffic.
• Keep children and pets away from the grill.
• Clean the grill before and after use. You don’t want any excess fat or grease to ignite while you are grilling.
• Use long-handled tools. This will keep your body a safe distance from the flame.
• Never leave the grill unattended.

Follow these simple guidelines, and you will insure that you, your family and your friends will be safe throughout the summer season.

Have you lived in your home for a long time? Have you just purchased an older home? If you can answer yes to either of these, then it would be a good idea to have the chimney inspected by a chimney professional. If significant damage is found, your chimney may need to be restored.

The restoration of a chimney typically involves procedures like chimney relining. The relining process consists of depositing a metal and/or concrete composite around the inside of the structure in order to reinforce the chimney. Chimney restoration may also involve replacing the mortar between the stone or brick of the chimney.

Chimney restoration is usually an expensive proposition. However, you can prevent these costly repairs. Getting regular chimney inspections will allow you to discover small problems before they become major ones. Contact your local chimney professional today to schedule an appointment. You will find it to be much cheaper to maintain a chimney than it is to restore one.

When we think about chimneys, we often think about the chimney stack and the fireplace. However, there are several important accessories that keep the chimney appliance working properly. A very important accessory is a chase cover.

Chase covers protect your chimney when it is not in use. This is usually the summer. The cover keeps leaves, sticks, animals and even water from collecting inside the chimney. If water gets into your chimney, it can be very bad news. The water eats away at the mortar, and eventually causes the chimney structure to fail. Needless to say, rebuilding a chimney structure is a very expensive proposition.

This is why we constantly preach maintenance. Having your chimney inspected and swept, as well as putting a chase cover on your chimney, will save a lot of money in the long run. No matter what economic climate we happen to be in, that is a very good thing!

We talk a lot about being sure to get your chimney inspected, but many of you may not know that there are actually 3 levels of chimney inspection. This is mainly due to the fact that chimneys can be in good shape as well as be in bad shape. And of course, all points in between. Here are the 3 levels of chimney inspection.

1. The first level of inspection is the type that covers the general maintenance of your chimney. Level 1 inspections are recommended on a yearly basis. In fact, this level can prevent costly repairs by uncovering a problem before it gets too big.
2. Level 2 inspections are necessary when the environment of the chimney is changing. This would include situation such as chimney relining. This level will often include video scanning in order to get a much closer look.
3. Level 3 inspections are necessary when there is suspicion of extreme deterioration of the chimney appliance. This can sometimes mean destroying part of the chimney in order to get to the problem areas.

Always remember that it is much better to have your chimney inspected yearly. Think of it like getting the oil changed in your car. It may seem like everything is fine, until the lack of maintenance causes serious, expensive damage.

When talking about chimneys, a damper is simply a plate that you maneuver to stop or regulate airflow inside your chimney. It is used to close off the flue and keep rain, birds and other small animals that like crawling in chimney stacks out and the ait inside your home in your home. Most of the time dampers are closed for the summer so the cool air from your air conditioning unit doesn’t escape of the chimney but can be closed between uses in the winter.

Dampers can also be used to regulate and control the rate of combustion of your fire by regulating the flow of oxygen. Most dampers are accessible by reaching up into the firebox with a poker but there are some that have a easy to reach lever that sticks down or out of the fireplace. All wood burning appliances have dampers including wood burning stoves so make sure you know where the damper can be controlled if you use one of these devises. If you don’t, you can easily fill up your home with unwanted smoke that can cause property and lung damage as well as a potential fire. The bottom line is to know how your entire fireplace works including the damper so you can avoid any unwanted accidents.

It’s that time of the year. Most people have stopped using our fireplaces in favor of the air conditioning unit. Then, as the summer begins, they will start to smell a very unpleasant odor emanating from the fireplace. What they may not know is that the smell is often caused by creosote that has built up over the course of the winter. These are some steps to take to eliminate that terrible smell.

First of all, the best method is to have a professional chimney sweep inspect your chimney. They will be able to identify the exact problem, and recommend a fix. Most often, the solution is to have your chimney thoroughly swept. This removes the actual cause of the smell, creosote.

For those that don’t know, creosote is a sticky buildup that accumulates in wood burning stoves and fireplaces. You can make sure there is less of it by choosing the correct type of wood. Burning resinous wood, such as conifers with needles, produces thicker smoke, which leads to more buildup. Hardwoods, like oak, hickory, maple and ash, burn much more cleanly, and are a good choice for winter use. Also, be sure the wood is thoroughly seasoned and has dried out. Wet wood produces thicker smoke as well, leading to a higher buildup of creosote.

While you are waiting for your appointment with the sweep, there are some tricks you can use to mask the odor. For instance, add some cat litter to your fireplace. It has been known to cover the odor caused by creosote. Also, try increasing the ventilation in the area of the house where your chimney is located. Regardless, be sure to have regular maintenance performed on your chimney. It will keep your home, family and nostrils safe from the dangers of creosote buildup.

Once you have inspected and cleaned as many chimneys as we have you realize there is a never ending story of what you might find in a chimney. There’s the usual creosote buildup that just about every type of fireplace produces and every chimney collects that, if left alone, will turn into a real fire hazard.

There are also the bird and squirrel nests that are built inside the chimney stacks for hiding as well as raising their young that can sometimes be a challenge if found during the wrong season. You may also run into both large and small debris if there is no chimney cap or cover or the current one has been damaged. All of these are somewhat expected. The fun and real challenge comes from the unexpected things found in the chimneys.

The most recent find from one of my chimney sweep colleagues was a stack of bird carcasses about 18 inches deep right on top of the flue. It seems the family could no longer open it. When they were asked if they smelled something or heard birds coming from the chimney the answer to both was yes. However, it took them almost a year to call someone to do an inspection and investigate!

So the lessons of the day are; if you smell any type of odor coming from the chimney or fireplace, please give us a call. You may be harboring a dead animal or animals as the family above had been. If you hear birds chirping and flying in your chimney there is a good chance they are also nesting in the chimney and they need to be moved elsewhere unless they are chimney swifts, which are protected under Federal law. In that case we have to wait until they migrate in the fall and then come back, clean the chimney and put a cap and or cover to keep them from nesting there again.

As you can see, there is much to be learned when inspecting and cleaning a chimney. If you have any questions or concerns make sure you contact us today. We’d love to talk to you and see if we can help.

I was reminded once again about how important the job we do really is when I read this local story about a family of 8 escaping their house fire. It was fortunate that all the family was able to get out of the house even though two of them had to be hospitalized for smoke inhalation. The cause of the fire according to firefighters; “the fire started in the clothes dryer vent”.

Many people don’t realize how dangerous the lint that gets trapped in your clothes dryer can be. It’s one of the most flammable materials in your home and it doesn’t take much to ignite it. Once lit, fire can easily and quickly spread throughout your home causing a great deal of damage. The real kicker is that cleaning the vent for your dryer normally take less than a couple of hours and costs less than a fun night out on the town. Had this family spent a few dollars every year to make sure the dryer vents were clear of debris and cleaned, they would still be in their home today and would not be facing an estimated $21,000 in repairs.

One reason that people don’t get this cleaning done is lack of knowledge. Please help us spread the word about the dangers of not cleaning your dryer vent every year as well as how easy and cost effective it can be done. We would love for you to choose American Chimney & Masonry to do the job; however, the important thing is to get this done today. Don’t wait. Pick up the phone and call a company that can clean your dryer vents as soon as possible. You will be glad you did and will be keeping your family safe from a potential fire.

Just about everyone is ready once spring arrives to break out and get outdoors. Most are either looking forward to some recreation and fun or to start the cleaning process for projects such as gardening and other home hobbies and activities. These are all wonderful things to look forward to as long as you remember that, as you go, there are some things you will want to think about.

If your activity has any type of fire or burning activity, there are precautions you will want to take to protect yourself as well as the surrounding natural environments. Many are surprised at how little it takes to start a raging fire that can damage acres of land and millions of dollars in property. It’s always good to review fire safety and prevention guidelines and adhere to them.

Being careless around a campfire, vegetation burn or in your home are the number one reason for wildfires each year. By taking the time to learn how to prevent a fire spreading during a controlled burn or fireproofing just might stop this trend from spreading.

We can do a lot to help you buy keeping your chimneys clean and safe as well as making sure your dryer vents are free from debris but we can’t be there for everything. Please take a minute and read about fire prevention and help us keep Oregon and the entire Northeast safe in 2011 and beyond.

If you have additional information that you would like for us to share with your neighbors, please send it to me through our contact form. We are your neighbors and live in your community and together we can do more than we can alone.

The Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) has been giving homeowners and chimney professionals alike up to date information regarding chimney safety for a long time. They have created a solid network that puts CSIA certified chimney sweeps and customers together. Their website is a great educational source for homeowners who would like to stay current on best practices for their chimney.

There is plenty of information that a home owner with a chimney should be knowledgeable about. On the CSIA website, you will find loads of information on the best way to maintain your chimney, and you’ll even find instructional videos that detail the chimney sweeping and inspection process. This valuable information could save the life of you and your family one day.

The mission of the CSIA is to help the American home owner avoid preventable fires that are caused by poor chimney maintenance. If your chimney has not been inspected in awhile, contact American Chimney today. We’ll make sure your chimney is safe to use for as long as you own your home.