Our Company Blog

How We Respond to Winter’s Wrath

If you live in Ohio, you know what it’s like to live in the winter! It gets cold, it gets snowy, and it gets icy! An Ohio winter isn’t for everyone, but if you’re one of the tough people that love nothing more than getting outside in the cold weather, then Ohio is the greatest place to be. We get through the winter in many different ways. Let’s look at a few ways we can respond to winter’s wrath!

There are basically two ways to get through an Ohio winter. You can embrace it or you can get through it. Let’s look at embracing it. If you’re one of those people that can’t wait to see the snow fall, that lives for cold temperatures so you can bundle up and go outside and play, then that’s exactly what you should do! Find a ski resort or hit some of Ohio’s cross country ski trails, then finish out your day by taking a hike to make sure your muscles stay warmed up. Or grab a sled or a tube and hit the hills. Whether it’s in your backyard or at a recreation center, there’s not much that makes you feel like a kid again like zooming down a hill, the cold wind in your face. Never mind the long trudge back up that hill, the thrill of speeding down makes it all worthwhile. Maybe you like ice fishing, sitting on the lake on a peaceful day, sipping on a cup of coffee while you wait for the fish to bite. No matter what the outdoor activity you prefer, as long as you are outdoors enjoying nature, it’s going to be a great day.

Maybe you aren’t as much of an embracer as an endurer. Well, winter is great for that, too. If when the weather gets cold, you snuggle in, then you know that nothing feels quite as good as looking out the window and seeing the snow fall, knowing that you are warm and safe in your house. Grab a book and enjoy a long read, turn on the tv and watch that movie you’ve been wanting to see, or do a marathon session of a series on Netflix. Maybe you can’t wait for the cold weather to hit so you have a reason to bake, using the oven to heat up your kitchen while filling the house with the sweet aroma of cookies or cake. Put the kids in their warm jammies and watch a kids’ movie on television. You’ll never feel as comfy and cozy as that feeling you get when you’re snug and warm inside while it’s cold outside.

Cuddle Up In Front of the Fireplace

No matter what type of person you are, embracer or endurer, there’s one thing everyone can agree on, and that’s that cuddling up in front of a beautiful, crackling fire is a great way to spend a winter’s evening. Now is the perfect time to enjoy your fireplace, but winter can also be very hard on a chimney and fireplace. The almost continual use can cause your chimney to become dirty, filled with soot and creosote, and that creosote, if it builds up too much, can catch a spark and cause a fire. Many chimney fires are undetected, which means there may be damage to your chimney liner. If your chimney liner is cracked or chipped, this means that the smoke isn’t able to make as smooth an exit out of your chimney and that your fire won’t burn as efficiently. It can also mean that dangerous gases that should be getting released through the chimney are instead leaking back into your home, causing illness for your family.

The outdoor elements can be very hard on your chimney, as well. Precipitation can get into the pores of the bricks and mortar that make up your chimney, and when the temperatures drop below freezing, that moisture freezes and expands, causing the pores to get bigger. As this happens, cracks can form. This also makes it difficult for smoke to leave your chimney in the manner in which it was intended. There’s another problem, as well. These cracks could also cause instability in the structure of your chimney.

Call Chim Cheroo Chimney Service Inc

If your chimney or fireplace is showing some negative effects from the harsh weather conditions that an Ohio winter can throw its way, then now is the perfect time to give Chim Cheroo Chimney Service a call. If we find your chimney or fireplace has been damaged, we can set you up on a repair schedule and start as soon as the weather allows. Our team of professional chimney servicemen are CSIA certified and highly qualified to take care of the problems discussed earlier in this article, but also any other problems that can happen when your chimney goes through a long, cold winter. Whether you have chimney problems or not, give us a call and let us come in and we’ll inspect and clean your chimney, look for any trouble spots, and get things fixed up so you have no worries going into the next burning season.

Common Fireplace Issues

If you own a fireplace, you probably have heard how important it is to have this fireplace inspected and cleaned on an annual basis. Do you know why this is such a big deal? For some people, it’s not really important to know the whats and whys, but for others, it may be very important to know what it is that a chimney inspector or sweep is looking for when he comes in to look over the chimney and fireplace. If you’ve ever wondered exactly what it is that they’ll be looking for, read on!

Creosote Buildup

If you have a wood-burning or pellet-burning heating appliance, your chimney will have a buildup of creosote lining the interior of your chimney. When you burn wood, there will be some moisture released, no matter how dry the wood is. This moisture, along with various chemicals, is released through the combustion process in the form of smoke. As the warm smoke rises it hits the cold interior of your chimney, especially near the top, where it condenses and forms a layer of black or brown, gummy or flaky, dull or shiny gunk called creosote. Creosote smells pretty bad, and the odor can actually permeate the furniture, the drapes, or the carpet of your home. Even worse, it’s very flammable, and a buildup of even as little as an eighth of an inch is enough to catch a spark and cause a chimney fire. When you call the highly qualified, CSIA certified chimney sweeps from Chim Cheroo Chimney Service Inc, one thing that we’ll be on the lookout for is creosote buildup.

Blockages

Another thing we’ll be on the lookout for is blockages in your chimney. There are several ways that your chimney can get a blockage. For example, your chimney makes the perfect place for animals to hide out. When birds, squirrels, even raccoons are looking for a place to raise a family, they’ll be looking for a warm, dry place that’s out of the way of winds and precipitation and predators. Your chimney is the perfect place. Trouble is, when these animals leave, they leave behind their nests and those nests can cause blockages. Also, the wind can blow-dried twigs and leaves or loose paper into your chimney and that can also cause a blockage to occur. These blockages can also catch a spark, causing a damaging chimney fire.

Although fire damage would be the major worry when it comes to both creosote buildup and blockages, both of these could also cause a restriction of the airflow into and out of your chimney. This can cause your fire to burn less efficiently, smoke to not escape out of the chimney as it should, and chemicals such as carbon monoxide to seep back into your home.

Cracked Chimney Liner

We’ll also be looking at the condition of your chimney liner. A chimney liner does exactly what the name says: it lines chimneys. It actually serves three functions. First, a properly fitted liner can help your fireplace system run more efficiently. Second, a chimney liner will protect any combustible items that are close to your fireplace from igniting from the heat of the fire you have burning. Third, it plays an important role of protecting your brick and mortar chimney from the corrosive effects of the smoke and chemicals that are released during the combustion process. If there are any cracks or dings in your chimney liner, it could mean that your fireplace is being damaged and also that the smoke that should be directed out of your chimney may be sneaking into your home. Chemicals such as formaldehyde, benzene, and even carbon monoxide may be carried in on that smoke, and that means that your family’s health might be affected.

Pilot Light Issues

If you have a gas fireplace, it means that you have some kind of a pilot light. If your fireplace won’t ignite, it could easily be that your pilot light isn’t lit. All you need to do is open the vent and see if there is a tiny flame. If there’s no flame, that means that your pilot light has gone out and that it needs to be relit. Just follow your manufacturer’s instructions carefully. Anytime that you work with gas, special caution is recommended. You might also have an old or improperly installed thermocoupler.

There are many issues that could be going on with your burning appliance, whether it’s gas, wood-burning, or pellet-burning. No matter what the issue that you might be having, you can count on Chim Cheroo Chimney Service Inc to be able to offer solutions. We are Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) certified, which gives us access to the best training and education in the industry. For any of your heating appliance needs, give us a call soon. We’ll help you make 2020 a safe, healthy year for you and for your family.