A fireplace is a great addition to a home, but depending on when and how yours was installed, you might feel you’re not getting the most out of the appliance, specifically in terms of aesthetic appeal.  Fireplaces that have been in service for decades and those installed without much thought about overall appearance might need a little hearth-area upgrading to transform them into aesthetically pleasing centerpieces. Fortunately Read more…

We often get questions from customers who want to learn more about their chimney and how to keep their family safe when using their fireplace. Since there are many homeowners that have similar questions, we summarized the top 5 most frequently asked questions below. How often should you have your chimney cleaned? Creosote is a natural by-product of the combustion process. This thick, tarry and Read more…

If you’ve noticed dampness on the bricks and mortar of your chimney or the inside walls of your home adjacent to the chimney, you are probably dealing with chimney sweating. Dampness can also be the result of a leaky roof, so that needs to be ruled out before addressing a chimney sweating issues. There are two reasons for a chimney to sweat: normal condensation, and Read more…

Making use of your fireplace can be a great way to cut down on your heating costs and create a cozy atmosphere in your home. If you are not careful, it can become a safety risk. Whether you have a gas fireplace, electric fireplace or wood-burning fireplace, it is important to follow a few basic safety tips to prevent the risk of a Read more…

Whenever you use a wood-burning fireplace, smoke emissions are created.  There’s no way to avoid this completely, but there are things you can do to ensure you’re creating a minimal amount of particulate emissions.  Here are some ideas. Burn the right wood Hardwoods such as oak and hickory produce a lot less smoke (which contains the emission particles) than soft woods like spruce or pine.  Hardwoods have the additional benefit of burning longer. Make Read more…

Can you heat a larger home with a single wood stove?  It’s certainly possible to do, but you need to take several things into consideration. Ideally wood stoves are made to be space-heating appliances.  As long as there is a suitable method for venting the smoke to the outside, these efficient units can be placed just about anywhere within a home to provide fast, comfortable Read more…

Unless you have a vent-free fireplace, the first step you should take before lighting a fire in a wood-burning fireplace or gas fireplace is to open the damper. If you start a fire when the damper is closed, you’ll realize the mistake quickly when the room fills up with smoke. Filling your living with smoke isn’t the best way to find out that the fireplace damper Read more…

You may have heard of using pellets as fuel for a fireplace.  It’s a unique and great technology that comes with many benefits to the homeowner.  Pellet-burning fireplaces typically are made as inserts – pre-built, ready-to-run units that are inserted into the opening of a current pre-fabricated fireplace. Advantages to pellet fireplace inserts and why they gain popularity. Easy to install Pellet-burning fireplaces are used in conjunction Read more…

There’s more to traditional masonry fireplaces than meets the eye.  To the average observer, a fireplace is an appliance in which wood is burned, and a chimney is a device through which smoke is channeled.  But really, that’s just the beginning.  There are a number of pieces and functions of a fireplace and chimney that homeowners should know about in order to operate their units safely and efficiently. The information Read more…

“How important is a chimney inspection?” We hear this question a lot from residents in the tri-state area of Southwest Wisconsin, North Illinois and East Iowa. It is a smart question to ask. We all like to cut corners when we can to save money. An annual inspection is one expense you shouldn’t skip. Carbon monoxide poisoning and house fires caused by fireplaces Read more…