Our Company Blog

Post-Holiday Cleaning

It’s so much fun getting ready for the holidays! You’ve cleaned, decorated, baked, and partied to your heart’s content, and soon that big day will arrive. The unwrapped presents, the leftovers, and the guests will just be a memory. As you prepare for the new year, give your house another thorough cleaning to make sure all the Christmas decorations are cleared out. One part of the house that you don’t want to neglect is your chimney. You probably used your fireplace quite a bit over the holiday season, so it needs come simple do-it-yourself cleaning. It’s also a good idea to get a more thorough cleaning, and so now would be a good time to call Chim Cheroo Chimney Service and have us come in for a post-holiday cleaning.

Make Sure You Give the Firebox a Good Cleaning

Heavy usage is another reason you’ll want to have your chimney and fireplace cleaned. In the hustle of the holidays, you most likely haven’t had time to give your fireplace a good cleaning. If this is the case, you’ll want to get to that cleaning right away! This is a matter that you can take care of on your own in a few simple steps. First, cover your furniture with old sheets and gather all the paraphernalia you’ll need to clean. Next, take the andirons and grate outside and give them a good scrub. Use a fire shovel to gather the ashes in the firebox and sweep up any loose dust and ash. You can also take a wire brush and some warm water and baking soda to scrub off the bricks on the fireplace. You’ll be happy at how fresh and clean your fireplace looks!

Why Hire a Professional

When you use your fireplace a lot, you’re going to get pretty thick creosote buildup, and this is where we come in. A fire makes the house, warm, cozy, and welcoming during the holidays. Firewood that is not well cured releases heavy and moist smoke, leading to thicker creosote buildup. As January starts up, you’ll be using the fireplace more and more, and if a stray spark hitting that heavy creosote could lead to a fire. We have the right tools and the experience to get all of that nasty creosote out so that you can burn a fire safely through the rest of the winter.

Here at Chim Cheroo, we look forward to making sure your chimney is clean and safe throughout the rest of the winter months. Give us a call today to set up your post-holiday inspection and cleaning.

Rebuilding Your Firebox

All you’ve been dreaming about as the end of summer approaches is cuddling up on a cool fall evening to bask in the warmth of a glowing fire in your beautiful fireplace. And then those dreams come crashing down when, as you’re cleaning your fireplace, you see that there is cracking and crumbling where there shouldn’t be. Don’t worry! The experts at Chim-Cheroo Chimney Service are there for you and for any repairs or rebuilds that your firebox might need.

What Part of my Fireplace IS the Firebox?

The Bob Vila website tells you that a masonry fireplace is made up of a brick or stone firebox, a brick or stone chimney, and, usually, a wood mantel. The chimney is, of course, the part of your fireplace that carries the smoke up and out of your house. Then there is the mantel, it’s the shelf above your fireplace. This will prevent smoke from getting inside your home. Lastly, the firebox is the part of your fireplace that actually houses the fire. According to the CSIA website, if it’s a factory built fireplace the firebox will be made up of a lightweight metal component.

How Sturdy is the Firebox?

The firebox of your masonry chimney is made of brick or stone. This means it can withstand the very high temperatures of the fires you build. However, even this sturdy material can, over time, have a certain level of deterioration take place. According the CSIA website, there are several different circumstances that can cause this deterioration:

1.  The heat of your fires will cause thermal expansion and contraction to occur. Over time, this will cause mortar joints to weaken.
2.  If the mason who constructed your fireplace didn’t use quality materials or wasn’t experienced in building a quality fireplace, you may experience a breakdown in your firebox.
3. Your chimney has no chimney cap or the chimney cap isn’t in good repair. This allows rain, sleet, and snow to seep down your chimney and into your firebox. This will cause the mortar and even bricks to crumble.
4. In addition, if water is allowed to seep into the firebox, it can settle on the smoke shelf. It will combine with the soot that forms behind the damper and mix to form an acidic sludge. That sludge will then seep into the firebox, which will destroy the mortar joints.

Can a Damaged Firebox be Salvaged?

To the untrained eye, these damages may appear to leave you with a hopeless fireplace situation. However, you have expert technicians like those at Chim-Cheroo Chimney Service available to survey the damage. They will analyze the situation and develop a reconstruction plan, so you will soon be on the path to recovery and repair. Call soon for your annual chimney and fireplace inspection, cleaning, and repair. Whether your firebox needs repairs or a complete rebuild, these specially trained and CSIA certified technicians will know just what to do. In no time, you will be sitting in front of your beautiful fireplace. Give Chim-Cheroo Chimney Service a call today!