By BOB TEDESCHI NOV. 14, 2012

HERE’S one for the annals of homeowner negligence: as of last month, my chimney had gone eight full years without being inspected, much less cleaned. For all I knew, a few generations of squirrels had summered in my bricks before fleeing at the first scent of smoke.

In those years we had probably burned 50 fires, but none since March 2011. But with Hurricane Sandy approaching, I knew I would likely need the fireplace for light, heat and maybe some cooking duties. Could I start it up once more without burning the house?

To answer that question and others, I called on Ashley Eldridge, the director of education for the Chimney Safety Institute of America, and John Gulland, writer and manager of WoodHeat.org, a site devoted to wood-heat systems.

With a few kernels of knowledge and a handful of low-cost items from the hardware store, homeowners can keep a chimney healthy between cleanings and keep the home’s heating system in good repair, they said. My experts also suggested a cheap way to make a great backyard fire pit, but more on that later.

My most pressing concern was whether I could light the first fire of the season without fear. I had ignored stories about chimney safety because my chimney looked fine from the outside, and it wasn’t belching smoke into our living room. People who live in similar ignorance are taking a risk.

Creosote can build up in a flue if you burn enough smoky fires, which come from wet wood, or fires that smolder before catching. This tarlike substance can catch fire with an inferno so intense that flammable materials abutting the chimney can also ignite.

“It just goes nuts in that chimney,” Mr. Gulland said. “All the heat produces a strong draft, so it sounds like a jet engine or a railroad train. It’s terrifying.”

The likelihood of a house fire depends on how closely your home’s builder adhered to safety codes. Some second-story floor beams, for instance, are anchored in the chimney. If they were placed without careful regard for building codes, they could encroach too closely on the flue and ignite in a creosote fire.

A good chimney sweep, Mr. Gulland said, “will have a radar for screw-ups like that, because there’ll be hints.” And keeping the flue clean, he added, minimizes the risk that such factors will come into play.

Mr. Eldridge suggested having a chimney inspected annually by a sweep who carries a certification from his organization, in that way ensuring the sweep meets training, educational and ethical standards. The CSIA.org site includes a searchable index of such sweeps, but none was available in my area.

Like most people, I’ve heard horror stories about swindles where a low-cost chimney sweep with a high-pressure sales pitch will identify costly phantom problems in places you can’t see.

To find a trustworthy sweep, Mr. Gulland suggested asking friends and avoiding low bidders. “You want someone who’s around 45 with a good-looking truck that’s not a rust bucket, the truck of a guy who’s proud of himself,” he said. “When you get a good sweep, you can pretty much tell immediately.”

I had five days before Sandy arrived, and a very low likelihood of finding a sweep before then. I needed to do an inspection on my own, but I had no idea what to look for. Mr. Gulland and Mr. Eldridge suggested getting a pair of safety glasses, a mirror and a strong flashlight, and starting at the bottom.

And that doesn’t mean the fireplace.

A chimney often has two flues, one for the fireplace and one that reaches to the basement, where, in homes heated with water, it connects to the boiler’s exhaust pipe. Multi-flue chimneys commonly terminate in a chamber that catches soot from a “cleanout” passage at the bottom of the fireplace. That soot can build up so much that it interferes with the boiler’s airflow. A little doorway, commonly found on the chimney and below the exhaust pipe, is there for removing soot.

I extracted at least 20 pounds of the stuff, and noticed gaps in the mortar connecting the exhaust pipe to the chimney. I tried not to think about the fumes that were escaping into my basement.

Next, I checked the fireplace itself. I slipped on goggles, opened the damper and, for the first time, checked the flue.

It wasn’t so bad. I scraped the surface with a poker, which revealed less than a half-inch of soot. I ran my finger across it and found a soft, sooty form of creosote rather than the more dangerous tarry variety.

My next bit of do-it-yourself maintenance was clearly not meant for the masses. I got up onto my second-story rooftop with roofing cement and silicone caulking seal. Mr. Gulland suggested sealing any gaps between the metal flashing and the chimney so water did not creep into the seams between the chimney and the house.

I also saw that my chimney cap had been installed with wire mesh, to keep critters out. Lovely. I’ve been looking at the mesh for 12 years and never really registered its existence.

Mr. Gulland and Mr. Eldridge both strongly recommend chimney caps, to keep animals, foliage and rainwater out. I removed the cap and found the boiler flue clear, and the fireplace flue looking the same as it did from the firebox.

Before I lit a fire, I bought a creosote sweeping log ($20), which my local hardware store manager recommended as a way to reduce creosote. I didn’t notice much of a difference in the soot after burning it, but I felt marginally safer, and Mr. Eldridge said it would make the chimney easier to clean, should I ever find a sweep. (Mr. Gulland was more dubious of the value of such products.) Two of my Facebook friends recommended Nutmegger Chimney Service, as did my hardware store manager. After Mike Przygocki, Nutmegger’s owner, and I traded voice mail, he rolled into my driveway with a polished truck and stepped out, looking to be about 45 and as trustworthy as anyone I had ever met.

Mr. Przygocki, who said he had been sweeping and repairing chimneys since 1983, then inspected the chimney from the same points as I did. The soot wasn’t dangerous, he said, and the chimney’s workmanship appeared to be adequate. (Among other things, the huge grout seams at the top of the structure would likely crack over time.)

But he couldn’t vouch for the chimney’s health (specifically, the terra cotta flue tiles) without sweeping it. This took roughly 40 minutes, and involved Mr. Przygocki’s setting up an expansive drop cloth and a vacuum that, remarkably, kept the soot from entering our house. When it was done, he declared it good to go.

“I’ve seen much worse, but it’s not great,” he said of my circa-1970 chimney. “A lot of developments from around this era were done this way, with old bricks and this kind of masonry work. It’s good for my business.”

Given my fairly infrequent use of the fireplace, he said, I should be O.K. waiting two years for an inspection. And when I showed him the inflatable damper pillow ($57, from Battic Door) to prevent drafts, he declared it “not a bad idea.”

My last order of business was building a fire pit, because my family had been requesting one for years. I assumed it was an arduous and expensive job. It was neither. (New York City residents, take note: fire pits violate the fire code.)

Mr. Gulland said the most common mistake with fire pits is that people make them too big. “Make it tiny,” he said. “A proper campfire, which is really what you’re building, is only 18 to 24 inches in diameter, and it’s just as pretty and less intimidating if it’s small and bright.”

I spent around $35 on 27 bricks from Lowe’s and a $17 grate from Home Depot, and assembled the pit in 20 minutes. My family was thrilled.

When Hurricane Sandy knocked out our electricity, the fireplace provided much-needed warmth, light and hot pasta. The fire pit will get its turn soon enough. And the trees sprawled across our property should keep both busy for a few seasons at least.

A Few Tips on Building a Better Fire

A BLAZING fire can be good for the soul but bad for the lungs, at least if you do it wrong.

“Many of the same components that are in cigarette smoke are in wood smoke,” said Nancy Alderman, president of Environment & Human Health, a public-health organization.

To avoid breathing those toxins, it helps to perfect the art of the low-smoke fire. For this, you need the right wood, a new approach to fire building and, perhaps, some insulation.

Hardwoods, like maple, oak and apple, are less likely to produce smoke than soft woods, like pine or cedar.

But hardwood will smoke if it’s not cured for at least six months before burning, said John Gulland, writer and manager of WoodHeat.org. “Low moisture content and correct piece size are more important than species,” he said.

Prevent backdrafts by clogging drafts elsewhere. Ashley Eldridge, the director of education for the Chimney Safety Institute of America, said if your attic door isn’t properly sealed and insulated, it can draw air from everywhere else, including your fireplace.

Also, burn hot fires. Because the traditional kindling-at-the-bottom approach typically leads to smoldering, Mr. Gulland suggested a top-down fire design, with heavier pieces at the bottom and kindling at the top. This gives kindling more air to burn, and helps produce a hot fire more quickly, and with less smoke.

There’s a little chill in the air overnight and in the early mornings, and the first official day of Fall is Saturday.That means Mainers are starting to use their wood stoves and fireplaces.

There are some things you should be aware of to keep your family safe this heating season.”They can and they have caused major fires, so we will put them out, different departments will do different techniques in terms of putting them out, but yes we treat them very seriously,” said Jake Johnson the Education Officer for the Bangor Fire Department.They are chimney fires.For firefighters and those in the home heating business, they know when the peak fire times are.”There’s always a spate of chimney fires you hear about in the news, that you hear about in the early to mid fall when people are lighting the fires for the first time and then it happens again, late or middle of winter, but not so much in the Spring because people stop burning as often, so check again,” said Jim Rockett of Evergreen Home and Hearth of Brewer. “Because an ounce of prevention is worth a pound a cure.”Cleaning and maintaining the chimney, having a new wood stove, and burning seasoned wood will help in the prevention of a fire, but it can still happen and if it does, it can cause a lot of damage.”If it gets hot there and there is actual fire and the heat can radiate out,” said Johnson. “If we’re talking about an old chimney or a chimney without a liner in it, or a cracked liner but what can happen is the spark and heat can radiate out into a surrounding structure and then that can cause a fire.”Even if you cleaned it in the spring at the end of the home heating season Johnson recommends another check before you start up the stove now. “A lot of people are diligent about cleaning when it’s colder out, come spring time you get a little less likely if you haven’t checked the chimney since then it’s a really good idea to make sure no critters have got into it, and believe it or not that’s happened quite a bit, animals will come down, a bird will make a nest, hornets, that type of thing, so even before you light the fire it’s a good idea to check it even if you have swept it in the spring.”But Johnson knows one other aspect of heating your home with wood can cause fires too, and he’d like to be proven wrong. “Someone will take out some hot ashes out of the wood stove and they’ll put it in the paper bag or a cardboard box and they’ll stick it right on the front porch, or the front deck, they’ll stick it in the garage, and not realize what seems to be cold ash there’s an ash inside or a coal inside there and starts a fire and I’ll guarantee that we’ll see at least one of those somewhere in the area this year.”

Here are 10 Questions to Ask when You’re Getting Your Chimney Cleaned from HomeSaver.com.

1: What will you do to clean the chimney?

Your chimney professional should be able to give you a step by step description of how he plans to clean your chimney and what he will do to protect your household during the cleaning process.

2: Is there just soot in the chimney or is there creosote, too?

Creosote is a highly flammable substance and its presence in your chimney can ignite causing a chimney fire. The presence of creosote in the chimney may indicate poor burning practices or a burning appliance that is not working well. In either case you should know of its presence, how the chimney professional will remove it, and what can be done to prevent or limit the presence of creosote in the chimney going forward. Soot on the other hand is a safe substance as long as it is removed before its accumulation interferes with draft. It is, in most cases, easily brushed away.

3: Can you inspect/clean other flues in my house besides the fireplace?

Sometimes chimney professionals will give price breaks when more than one chimney or flue will be inspected/cleaned. If you’re having a chimney professional come to clean your fireplace flue, it’s probably a good idea to have him or her take a look at your furnace/water heater flues as well.

4: How long will it take?

Every flue is different, but on average a thorough cleaning should take about 45 minutes to an hour. This time can increase substantially if there is creosote present in your flue, if the flue is damaged in any way, or if there are blockages such as birds’ nests. If your chimney cleaning requires more time it’s good to ask and understand why.

5: Do you inspect the chimney, too?

We recommend you have your flue inspected with each cleaning. A thorough inspection can alert you to possible unsafe conditions in your chimney. But don’t take it for granted that this will be done unless you specify you want it done.

6: How often should I have my chimney cleaned?

Your chimney professional can make a reasonable estimation for time between cleanings based on your individual burning practices.

7: How much do you charge?

Be sure to understand what you are getting for your money, i.e.. inspection and cleaning, or just a cleaning.

8: What certifications do you have?

Someone can be a skilled chimney professional even without certifications, but it may be comforting for you to know if your chimney professional is certified by CSIA (Chimney Safety Institute of America), F.I.R.E.(Fire Investigation Research and Education), NFI (National Fireplace Institute), or a regional organization like the Golden State Chimney Sweeping Guild in California.

9: How long have you been in business?

This is a good way to establish what level of experience your chimney professional has.

10: Will you have to go on the roof?

Some chimney pros clean from the top down, some clean from the bottom up. There is no one preferred method. In either case it’s good to know what their procedure will be, especially if you’re concerned about ladders damaging flower beds or other landscaping.

Previously published at highschimney.com

Chimney liners are a vital element in the operation of your fireplace or wood stove. And when the liner has deteriorated, cracked or aged beyond its limit you have a choice of materials for the replacement chimney liner. Clay tile is a traditional choice for the liner, although you can also choose cement or aluminum. Stainless steel chimney liners are a popular and durable choice that delivers various benefits.

Long Lasting

Because stainless steel is corrosion resistant you can expect this liner to last for years virtually problem free. And the complete seal applied to the liner keeps nasty emissions away from your masonry, allowing them to last longer and cutting down on required repairs.

Affordable

A stainless steel chimney liner an affordable alternative to most traditional chimney liners. Easier to install than clay tile liners, the initial installation of stainless steel liners is less expensive. Also, chimney sweeps have an easier time cleaning this type of liner thanks to the round shape. No square corners to catch deposits of creosote makes for a faster, more effective clean. In the end, this should cost you less.

Sealed and Smooth

Aged clay tile chimney liners will crack and split, which allows noxious fumes to leak into your home. With a stainless steel liner you will effectively seal those cracks and drastically reduce the chance of them happening ever again.

Added Insulation

Insulation can be fitted around the stainless steel liner or stuffed between the liner and the chimney walls. This insulation cuts down on creosote build up by keeping the air hot all the way up the chimney. It also helps to reduce the cold air draft that could come down the chimney when the fireplace or wood stove is not in use.

Replacing your existing liner with a new stainless steel chimney liner is a wise choice, offering your home all of these benefits and not to mention, a whole lot more.

By: Kiera Butler

It's no secret that fireplaces and woodstoves—wonderful and cozy though they may be—are not great for the environment. The smoke that they produce is full of harmful particles, including, according to the EPA, volatile organic compounds and the likely carcinogen benzo(a)pyrene. Smoke can foul up the air both inside and out, and exposure to the stuff can cause serious respiratory problems.

So should you board up your hearth for good? Not necessarily. The right equipment can help, as can proper burning techniques.

To find out exactly how to make the most efficient fire possible, I enlisted the help of Clay Thompson, a working chimney sweep based in Sacramento, California. According to the Chimney Safety Institute of America, there are about 5,000 working chimney sweeps in the United States. You may be as disappointed as I was to learn that Thompson, who has been sweeping six chimneys a day five days a week for 13 years, says that unlike that other notorious chimney sweep, Mary Poppins' boyfriend, he sings only in the car and never dances. Also, he uses brushes instead of, you know, climbing on in. "Most modern chimneys are only six inches wide," he says. "I don't know how Santa does it." Anyway, here are Thompson's tips:

If you have a fireplace, consider an insert. A fireplace insert is like a wood-burning stove that fits right into your fireplace. EPA-certified models burn 70 percent more efficiently than an open fireplace.

Upgrading to new equipment could save you money. If your fireplace insert or stove was made before 1992, you might want to consider a newer, EPA-certified model. Although they can be pricey, the agency-approved stoves and inserts not only produce less smoke and soot, they're also 50 percent more efficient than traditional models—so you'll end up spending less on fuel. They're also much easier to clean, says Thompson: "I dread those old inserts. They weigh 600 pounds, and then there's six to eight inches of soot inside. You can't even see anything, and it takes two and a half hours. I have to change my clothes after that. I work as a chimney sweep but I don't like getting dirty." For several years, people who upgraded their fireplaces and wood stoves qualified for a federal tax credit, but that program expired this year. Some states offer their own programs; the Alliance for Green Heat lists them here.

Burn the right kind of fuel. Rule of thumb: The cooler your fire, the more particulate emissions and soot it produces. In order to ensure that your fire is hot enough, Thompson recommends using only wood that has been "seasoned" (dried) for at least a year. Hard woods (like maple, ash, oak, and beech) burn hotter than soft woods (pine and fir). Most importantly, never burn wet wood. Pellet stoves, which take bricks made of compressed wood or other organic materials, generally burn cleaner and more efficiently than woodstoves or fireplaces.

Use the right sized grate for your fireplace. "A lot of people buy a grate that is too big for their fireplace and then spread out the logs," says Thompson. For the hottest and hence cleanest-burning fire possible, "you want those logs all bundled together in the center."

Skip the home chimney-cleaning remedies. There are a bunch of old wives' tales about DIY chimney sweeping; Thompson says that several of his customers have tried to clean their chimneys by starting a fire with potato peels or rock salt. "Those don't seem to work." Another bad idea: "Some people try to start a chimney fire to clean their chimney," he says. "Sometimes it does clean it, but sometimes it burns your house down." For newer model fireplace inserts and stoves, Thompson recommends a professional inspection and sweeping about every two years, or one cleaning for every cord of wood burned. But if you have older equipment, or if you regularly burn wood that isn't properly seasoned, you could end up needing a sweeping much more frequently. Thompson's company charges $149 for a one-story sweeping, but prices vary by region.

It should also be noted that the while fuel stoves in the United States are often considered ornamental, Europeans are increasingly using pellet stoves as a primary source of heat. The Alliance for Green Heat points out that these stoves produce fewer climate-warming greenhouse gases than fossil fuels.

Wood and pellet stoves are far from the only hearth-based heat contraptions available. If you'd like to geek out on hydronic heaters, masonry heaters, and more, the EPA's site on appliances is a good place to start. Want to compare efficiency and emissions of various models? Go further down the rabbit hole with Cornell Cooperative Extension's extremely thorough guide.

Previously published at highschimney.com

An annual chimney inspection is important to ensure proper safety. While these inspections will highlight your biggest problems areas, damage and fire hazards can show up throughout the year. It's a good idea to keep an eye on these important problem areas throughout the year. If any signs of damage appear, contact your chimney professional for a midyear inspection.

Masonry

The masonry should be free of excessive cracks and should look sturdy. Cracks and improper sealing can allow for water and ice damage, which will ruin the structural integrity of your chimney.

Flue

Poured-in-place or clay tile flues should be free of cracks, chips and improper sealing. A metal liner should be free of rust spots. Even small cracks or patches of rust should be looked at by a professional. These problems can allow combustive gases and sparks into your home.

Creosote and soot deposits should be monitored, as an accumulation of these can lead to chimney fires. Additionally, if you have an old home, inspect how such things as your dryer are vented. If dryers are vented into the bottom of the flue, it is easy for the vent to be blocked by falling debris. Blocked vents are a huge fire hazard.

Hardware

Missing or damaged chimney caps will need replaced or repaired by a licensed professional. Chimney caps protect your flue from water damage while preventing sparks from landing on your roof or yard. A missing chimney cap is a significant fire hazard.

Metal flashing around your chimney should not be loose or covered in excessive tar or caulking. Loose flashing allows for water damage, whereas an excessive amount of tar or caulking could be a sign of previous water damage. If you notice either of these problems midyear, but haven't talked to your chimney inspector about it, give them a call and see if they investigated it during their annual inspection. Water damage to your chimney is costly, and can be a fire hazard.

Ensure that cleanout doors are present and working properly. They should easily open and close. Missing or malfunctioning cleanout doors need replaced. Dampers should be free of rust damage, and easily moved.
Vents from previously used equipment such as wood stoves should be securely blocked off if no longer in use.

Draft

While looking over your chimney, there are some aspects that will be difficult for you to fully gauge. One of the most important aspects of a properly functioning chimney is the draft. With a weak draft, the combustible gases, creosote, soot and smoke do not leave the chimney easily. Sometimes, these fire byproducts are pushed back into the home. When your chimney is full of smoke and creosote, this might be unpleasant, but if you have an accumulation of carbon monoxide in your home, this problem could be deadly.

If smoke downdrafts into your home, ensure your chimney and fireplace have no missing pieces and that the chimney is not blocked by debris or creosote. If no cause of the downdraft can be found, contact a professional to inspect your chimney's draft. If problems are present, they will be able to suggest ways to increase the draft.

This basic overview of problem areas in your chimney is meant to help you maintain a safe fireplace and chimney in between annual inspections. It is not exhaustive enough to cover all the potential problems that could occur throughout the year. If you find any of the above problems, or come across something not mentioned here, please contact a trusted professional to ensure your home is a safe, healthy place for you and your family.