Chimney News & Information May 2016

The Dangers of Mold in Your Chimney

Taking care of your chimney isn’t easy and it can be costly. Maintaining a chimney requires a lot of time, materials, skill and constant attention. You need to constantly monitor your chimney in order to ensure the safety of your home and family.

A big concern for chimney owners is the presence of mold in their chimney and not knowing whether it is there or not. It is important for chimney owners to know the dangers of mold and how they can not only prevent it, but eliminate it.

What you need to know:

Aside from water being known to cause damage in your chimney’s mortar and brick and not to mention the risk it has on potentially damaging your chimney’s structural integrity, water is the number one enemy because it is the key ingredient in the forming of mold.

Signs of mold:

How do you know if mold is forming or has formed in your chimney? Without going up into your chimney, diagnosing the presence of mold requires you to be very attentitive. This is predicated on the season you are currently in. Since the potential for mold growth greatly increases with the presence of water, you need to be more alert whenever it’s warm, rainy or humid. Second, you need to take note of the smell. If you notice a musky odor circulating, then that is definitely a tell-tale sign of mold growth.

Potential Dangers and Hazards:

Every person has a different reaction to certain substances. The same is true with a person’s reaction to molds. Here are a few of the common physical reactions attributed to mold growth:

• Dizziness
• Breathing problems
• Flu-like symptoms
• Memory loss
• Weakened immune system

Of course, these reactions vary depending on the severity of the mold growth and exposure and the person’s physical state upon contact.

Preventing Mold in your home:

In order to prevent the possibility of mold growth, you should absolutely waterproof your chimney and make sure you have a suitable chimney cap installed. Chimney caps cover the opening so that little or no water at all can enter. Eliminating the possibility of water also eliminates the possibility of mild growth in your chimney.

Please don't take a chance with mold, call us at Guaranteed Chimney of New England and keep your family and home safe!

Keep your Chimney dry!

Water is a major contributor to the erosion of your chimney's masonry. A person's chimney is arguably the most forgotten part of their home and if neglected, could put your home and your family at risk. Your chimney is just one of those things that you expect to be there for you when you need it but may not give it much additional thought in the meantime. However, your chimney needs to be tended to and fixed whenever a repair is necessary.

Water and Metal do not mix!

Metal and Water do not mix! Everyone know that water causes rust. A constant water presence can cause your metal damper assemblies and metal chimney liners to rust. Take the rust you can see and multiply that by at least two and that will be the amount of rust you CAN'T see. Just because you haven't seen any rust, does not mean there isn't any. Have you been unable to physically open your damper? There could be major rust built up from running water starting from the top of the chimney. This could be caused by a missing or damaged chimney cap. If you do not have one, you need one and if you have a broken one it needs to be fixed!

Water and your Brickwork!

Your chimney may be spalling due to water. Spalling is the flaking off of the brick surface and is a definitive sign of severe moisture penetration. Spalling bricks have cracks and breaks in the surface and often large, crater-shaped chips. These bricks must be repaird or replaced immediately. The best way to avoid brick spalling is to eliminate the moisture altogether. This once again goes back to needing a strong chimney cap in place!

Mortar Erosion!

Your chimney is constantly exposed to the elements on the outside all year round and the heat from your firebox on the inside during the winter months. Beacuse of these conditions, the weathering process is increased. As such, it is common for the mortar to begin to crumble and fall away, leaving open areas between the bricks, thereby exposing more surface area to these weathering agents. Unless you are planning on gettign rid of your chimney, there is absolutely no excuse for not taking better care of it. It’s time to have an experienced technician evaluate the condition of your chimney’s interior and exterior, get them repaired if necessary and have your chimney coated with a waterproofing agent. \

Guaranteed Chimney of New England has experts across the Boston and larger Massachusetts area ready to serve you around the clock. Water is a major contributor to the erosion of your chimney's masonry. A person's chimney is arguably the most forgotten part of their home and if neglected, could put your home and your family at risk. Your chimney is just one of those things that you expect to be there for you when you need it but may not give it much additional thought in the meantime. However, your chimney needs to be tended to and fixed whenever a repair is necessary.

Every year you read or hear stories about yet another fire that started in a fireplace. Sometimes the fire was in the living room, while others started on the roof.

While the winter season has passed us, many chimney owners will occasionally light a summer fire, especially on a cold rainy July night. No matter the season, your fireplace should be treated properly and not forgotten about. Fireplaces are a great addition to a home, but only if you use them safely.

Using Dry Wood

Fireplace owners know that the wood used should be on the dry side, but keep in mind that wood with some moisture in it is beneficial as well. About 20% of dry wood still holds moisture and that moisture helps to slow down the time it takes for the wood to burn. This reduces the embers that can fly either out of your fireplace (if you don’t use the screen) or up your chimney where they belong.

Don't Burn Your Beautiful Wrapping Paper

Whether you are opening presents during the holidays or a birthday, you may be tempted to burn that pesky wrapping paper in your fireplace. We warn you to avoid doing this. Sure, it burns, but it burns quickly, is quite light and the embers really fly. Some fly right up the chimney and onto your roof or your landscaping! This is dangerous and can cause serious damage to your home and your neighbors home as the embers spread. Flourescent and bright wrapping paper has finishes and ink that could very well be toxic at high temperatures. Don’t burn rolled newspapers, charcoal, garbage or plastic in your fireplace and never use an accelerant. If you have trouble starting the fire, you can use crumpled newspaper on the grate and then put the logs on top of it.

Heating systems in the process of producing heat also create carbon monoxide, a dangerous and odorless gas that is expelled from your home via your chimney flue. In most homes, especially in the Boston and larger New England area, there is a chimney that is functioning properly and this carbon monoxide is removed safely and efficiently.

However, there are situations that arise over time that can lead to some level of carbon monoxide escaping the flue and entering your home. This is obviously a major problem and can lead to health issues and possibly even death. Most homes should have carbon monoxide detectors installed, but this invisible gas is so dangerous that even a detector may not help.

As a chimney inspection and repair company we know that a yearly inspection is the best way to avoid this problem. We also understand that many homeowners will go years or even decades without having their chimney inspected. It is not uncommon for a chimney lining to deteriorate over time. We also see situations where a new boiler is installed but the retrofit to the existing chimney liner is not proper.

We highly recommend that all of our customers, friends and neighbors have a carbon monoxide detector installed in their home. This inexpensive device could be the difference in preventing carbon monoxide poisening to you and your loved ones.

Make sure you have your detector installed and working and remember to have your chimney inspected annually by Guaranteed Chimney of New England.