Your Guide to Seasoning & Storing Wood

There are a few practices that are fundamental to ensuring the safe and efficient use of your home fireplace. Some of these practices are occasional. One of them, for instance, is annual – having your fireplace or wood stove and chimney inspected. Likewise,...

What To Do in Power Outages

The holidays are finally over. You’ve taken down the Christmas tree, all of the leftovers are gone, and there isn’t any more shopping to be done. Now is supposed to be a time of renewed energy and hope…but Mother Nature didn’t get the memo. The...

Wintertime Fireplace Checklist

If you have a wood stove or fireplace in your home, winter nights are probably synonymous with a warm, cozy fire. Like many home systems, your fireplace can bring comfort to your life – but there are simple ways to be sure that comfort is maximized and doesn’t...

Holiday Movies To Watch By Your Fireplace

This time of year is filled with many holiday traditions. From singing Christmas carols to visiting Santa at the mall, December marks the start of the holiday season – and with it plenty of shopping, mail deliveries, Christmas pageants, and maybe even a little...

How To Safely Decorate Your Fireplace

Decorating your fireplace for the fall and winter holidays can add warmth and charm to your home. Many people cherish the opportunity to create a cozy backdrop to the season. From spiderwebs to turkeys, greenery to stockings, each element has a traditional background...

Bats in the Chimney: What To Do

You get home from a long day at work, pour yourself a hot beverage, grab your favorite book, and go to light a fire in your fireplace. But what is that noise? Is there a ghost in my chimney? While October may be just the month to host ghouls and goblins, the sound you...

When Should I Schedule My Chimney Sweeping?

When the seasons shift, school buses start rumbling past every morning, and temperatures start to lower, getting a fire crackling becomes all the more enticing. Yet in the anticipation of cozy evenings, it’s vital not to overlook one key element of home maintenance:...

Are There Different Types of Chimney Caps?

When it comes to keeping your home safe and your home heating system working at its best, there may be nothing more important than the humble chimney cap. This little piece of protection sits above your chimney exhaust flue keeping it safe from unwanted guests...

Common Brick vs. Firebrick

Bricks have been around for thousands of years. While it’s crazy to think that your home may have a building material in common with the walls of ancient Jericho, it makes a lot of sense. Brick is strong, durable, and can be made of readily available components. It’s...

When Did Chimney Sweeping Begin?

When you hear the words chimney sweep it is likely that you are filled with images of soot covered men, bright white smiles on their faces, dancing on rooftops – with Mary Poppins and the Banks kids joining in on the fun. The truth is, few professions have been...