Why Wet Firewood Makes a Dirtier Chimney
Unseasoned wood spends the first part of every burn boiling off water instead of making heat. Here is what that does to the inside of a Connecticut flue.
5 min readChimney advice, from the roof
Written by the crew who do the work — no filler, no scare tactics, no upsells
Articles
Why a Chimney Can Look Fine From the Ground and Still Be Failing
The crown, the hidden face and the flashing detail are the three things you cannot judge from a driveway — and they are where most Connecticut chimney damage starts.
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In short
- The crown sits flat on top of the chimney and is invisible from the ground — it is also the single most common entry point for water.
- A chimney weathers unevenly: the face you cannot see from the driveway is usually the one taking the weather.
- Flashing failures hide under shingles and show up inside the house long before they show up outside it.
Creosote Smell or a Draft Problem? How to Tell the Difference
A chimney smell that gets worse in summer, or when the AC runs, is usually not a dirty chimney at all. It is air coming down the flue instead of going up it.
6 min readWhy Some Old Chimney Brick Fails So Much Faster Outdoors
The brick above your roofline may not be the same brick as the rest of the house. Here is why interior-grade masonry spalls, and what can be done about it.
6 min readChimney Crown Repair vs. Complete Replacement: How the Call Is Made
A cracked crown is sometimes a patch and sometimes a rebuild. These are the specific things ABC Chimney Solutions looks at before deciding which.
6 min readConverting From Oil to Gas: What Changes in the Chimney
Gas is cleaner burning but wetter and cooler in the flue, and the chimney that suited an oil boiler is often the wrong chimney for a gas one.
6 min readHow Chimney Liner Size Is Worked Out From the Appliance
Liner diameter is not a preference. It comes from the appliance BTU rating, the chimney height and the manufacturer venting tables — and getting it wrong causes the problems people blame on the chimney.
6 min readStainless Steel or Cast-In-Place Liner? When Each One Makes Sense
Two very different ways to line a chimney. One is a manufactured pipe sized to the appliance; the other is poured in place and reinforces the stack. Here is how to choose.
6 min readWhat a Custom Hip & Ridge Chimney Cap Protects That a Standard Cap Does Not
A standard cap covers the flue opening. A full-coverage custom cap covers the crown as well — which is where most chimney water damage actually starts.
5 min readWhy a Chimney Leak Can Carry On After the Obvious Problem Is Fixed
Chimneys usually have more than one way in. Fixing the one you can see and finding it still leaks is normal — here is how the water is actually traced.
6 min readHow a Tight House Can Stop a Fireplace Drawing
New windows, added insulation and a good range hood can be enough to pull a chimney backwards. Here is why a well-sealed house fights its own fireplace.
6 min readInstalling a Wood Stove in a House With No Chimney
You do not need an existing masonry chimney to have a wood stove. A Class A insulated chimney system builds one — here is what that actually involves.
6 min readPartial Rebuild or Full Rebuild? How That Decision Gets Made
A rebuild is measured from the point the mortar stops holding. Sometimes that is three courses and sometimes it runs to the foundation — here is what decides it.
6 min readWhen Chimney Stucco Is a Practical Alternative to Rebuilding
If the masonry is structurally sound but cosmetically finished, a stucco coating protects and resurfaces the chimney for far less than taking it down.
5 min readHow Often Should a Chimney Be Swept? The Connecticut Answer
Once a year is the rule, but Connecticut heating seasons and how you burn change the answer. Here is how to work out what your chimney actually needs.
6 min readWhen Tuckpointing Saves a Chimney From a Rebuild
Mortar is meant to fail before brick does. Replace it in time and the chimney is fine; leave it and the water gets into the brick, which is when it stops being a joint repair.
5 min readThe Three Stages of Creosote — and Which One Is in Your Chimney
Creosote goes through three stages, and only the first comes off with a brush. How to tell them apart and what each one means for your chimney.
6 min readWhy Your Chimney Leaks When It Rains — 7 Causes, Ranked
A damp patch on the chimney breast is almost always one of seven things. Here they are in the order we actually find them, and what each costs to put right.
7 min read6 Signs Your Chimney Liner Has Failed
A failed liner is invisible from the room but leaves clear evidence. The six signs worth knowing, and why an unlined flue is a genuine hazard.
6 min readIs a Chimney Cap Worth It? What It Actually Prevents
A chimney cap is the least expensive component on the chimney and prevents the most expensive problems. What it stops, and what to look for in a good one.
5 min readChimney Crown vs Chimney Cap: What’s the Difference?
Two different components, two different jobs, constantly confused. What each one does, how each fails, and why the crown is the one people neglect.
5 min readInstalling a Wood Stove or Insert: What Has to Happen First
The order matters. Survey, then flue sizing, then hearth and clearances, then the appliance. Doing it the other way round is how installs go wrong.
7 min readSelling a House in Connecticut? Your Chimney Will Be Inspected
Chimneys are outside a general home inspector’s scope, which means they become a negotiation point late in the sale. How to get ahead of it.
6 min readCarbon Monoxide and Your Chimney: The Risk You Cannot Smell
CO has no smell and its symptoms read as flu. How chimney faults produce it, why a clear flue is not the same as a working one, and what a draft test proves.
6 min readWhy Your Chimney Smells Worse in Summer
A sooty smell that appears in warm, humid weather is a specific problem with a specific cause. What it means and the order to fix it in.
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