You may have heard from friends or family about keeping your fireplace open during the summer, so long as you have a chimney cap to keep the debris and animals out. Keeping the fireplace open all summer is known as “airing out” the fireplace. It makes sense, keep the stale air out and let fresh […] The post Can You Keep Your Fireplace Closed This Summer? appeared first on Chimney Repairs and Service Expertise ..read more

It’s summertime in the Chicagoland area! The birds are out, making nests in chimneys, rain soaking into the bricks, heat and humidity wearing away slowly on the outside of your chimney. As the sun beats down on the chimney cap, you might notice some small bits of rust tucked away underneath the cap’s edges and […] The post Can You Pass the Chimney Inspection This Year? appeared first on Chimney Repairs and Service Expertise ..read more

Stone or brick masonry, gas or wood burning…There are many types of chimneys out there! Are you wondering what type of chimney you have in your home? Knowing the type of chimney you have is important for proper maintenance. In this article, we will discuss the different types of chimneys, their characteristics, and how to […] The post What Type of Chimney Do You Have? appeared first on Chimney Repairs and Service Expertise ..read more

When you get a bigger project done such as tuckpointing the chimney, or partially rebuilding the chimney, it seems like it was just completed yesterday. A customer recently called and asked for one of our masonry tech experts to inspect the chimney. When we looked up the customer’s name and address, we found that the […] The post Now’s the Time to Get the Chimney Repaired appeared first on Chimney Repairs and Service Expertise ..read more

Chimney rebuilds are necessary when the exterior chimney is beyond repair. Take a look at the pictures included. When there’s a pile of bricks that doesn’t even look like a chimney, that will be a chimney rebuild. If you see large holes or gaps in the structure, that will also be a chimney rebuild. But […] The post Are Chimney Rebuilds that Obvious? appeared first on Chimney Repairs and Service Expertise ..read more

Now that it’s summer, this is a perfect time to get the furnace flue inspection done. Furnace flues play an important role in the operation of your home’s heating system. Without proper care, it can lead to serious hazards, meaning build up and the release of carbon monoxide. Let’s take a look at the importance […] The post The Importance of Furnace Flue Inspections appeared first on Chimney Repairs and Service Expertise ..read more

A chimney can be an obvious place where a chimney leak can occur. The chimney extends to the sky, many times as the highest point of your home. Not to mention, there’s a hole at the top that needs to be covered, and cement and bricks that are porous! It’s pretty obvious that chimney leaks […] The post What To Do About a Chimney Leak?! appeared first on Chimney Repairs and Service Expertise ..read more

Worried about removing the fireplace smell this year? Once you’ve finished with scrubbing your home from top to bottom, you might have noticed a strange smell still coming from around your fireplace. It can be a strong or subtle odor that seems impossible to get rid of! Maybe you’ve tried to put some baking powder […] The post A Smelly House… After Spring Cleaning? appeared first on Chimney Repairs and Service Expertise ..read more

Wind storms and the chimney: it’s not a pair made in paradise. The wind storms that we’ve had lately in the Chicagoland area have been challenging. Not only has debris from the trees been thick all over the grass and driveway, but has also blown off roofing materials, gutters and of course some things associated […] The post Wind Storms and the Chimney: With or Without Rain appeared first on Chimney Repairs and Service Expertise ..read more

This past weekend, for most homeowners, was the time to cut your grass. We’ve had plenty of rain to have the grass grow quite long. After opening the garage door and pulling out the mower, I was greeted by cicadas sitting on both garbage cans. They are definitely a good size bug. Okay, no big […] The post Cicada Crawling Up the Chimney appeared first on Chimney Repairs and Service Expertise ..read more