Things to Know When Investing in a New Chimney

If you are having a new masonry chimney built to go along with a masonry fireplace, there are some things you may want to know before the building process begins. It’s good to take time and consider essential aspects of your investment so that you can make confident, informed decisions. The more you know about chimneys, the better equipped you are to end up being happy with your newly built venting system.

Chimney Placement

You may have the perfect place picked out for your new fireplace, but is the location also good for your chimney? Outside walls are popular places to install chimneys, but they are not the best option, all things considered.

On the coldest of winter days, you are likely to have a cold column of air inside your chimney if it has been built on an outside wall. That cold air is not good. First, a chimney filled with cold air cannot draft properly. It takes some effort to get heat to push through all of that cold air and then eliminate it. Lighting a fire typically requires a preliminary activity in which you use newspaper to make a torch. Hold the lit torch up to the open damper. After one or two tries, the cold air should exit the chimney. You are then free to light your fire with the confidence of knowing that combustion fumes will not go inside your home. Instead of being forced to deal with cold air in your chimney, you can choose to have it built within the interior walls of your home, not on an outside wall.

The Concrete Footing

Masonry chimneys are exceedingly heavy, and seldom are other parts of a home heavier. It is crucial to build a chimney over a concrete footing that is either below or at the level of the home’s foundation. The concrete footing should extend at least 6 inches beyond each side of the chimney. A lot can go wrong as a result of a defective or insufficient chimney footing. When the chimney settles, for instance, it could push down and break through the concrete footing, creating cracks in the chimney and in the home’s foundation. Obviously, it is important that the chimney masons understand building requirements.

Chimneys Need Maintenance

When you have a chimney built, you are taking on a venting system that requires maintenance. Chimney inspections should be scheduled annually, according to fire safety experts at the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA). Chimney cleaning is essential, as well, especially if you have a wood-burning fireplace. Wood fires always leave creosote behind in the chimney liner. As the creosote builds up, it increases the chances that a dangerous chimney fire will occur. Creosote can also obstruct the chimney, resulting in toxic combustion gases entering your home.

Call Complete Chimneys LLC Today

For the best in chimney services, contact Complete Chimneys. In addition to providing chimney maintenance, chimney inspections, chimney repairs, and masonry repairs, we offer sales. Visit our new showroom at 8174 Ritchie Highway in Pasadena MD and see a wide selection of hearth appliances today. You can also call us at 410-544-7600 to schedule the best chimney services in the area.