Fireplace Lowdown

Is Your Fireplace Costing You Money? 3 Tips for Improving Efficiency

Whether or not you're using your fireplace, it could be costing you money in the way of energy bills.  Heated air (or air conditioned air in the summer) can escape right up the chimney, and when you're burning a fire, you can be losing heat too.

Here are a few things you can do to make your fireplace more efficient:

• Consider top sealing dampers to replace the fireplace throat damper.  A top sealing damper at the top of the chimney that works like a storm door.  It keeps heated or air conditioned air inside the house and the cold/hot exterior air outside, so it's a good idea to use all year around.
• Add a fireback to the back of your fireplace.  These cast iron plates protect the back wall of the firebox from damage, but they also increase the efficiency of the fireplace by absorbing heat and radiating it back into the room, even after the fire has burned out.  Firebacks can be decorative as well as functional and are available in a variety of styles.
• Use a fireplace heater to pull fresh air from the room, circulate it through a chamber heated by the fire, and then blow the warm air back out into the room.  Since these heaters are closed systems, no smoke is sent into the room.  Fireplaces themselves aren't naturally efficient (wood stoves are much better for heating purposes), but a fireplace heater can make a significant difference in a fire's ability to keep a whole room warm. 

White Crystals Around Your Fireplace?

If you have a brick fireplace, you may have some interesting white crystals developing on the bricks.  According to What Are the White Crystals Growing on My Brick they may be efflorescence, "a salt crystal that forms when water soaks through all kinds of masonry (efflorescence will also form on drywall and other surfaces penetrated by moisture) to the surface and dries."

Worried?  Want to get rid of it?  Here's what the article goes on to say:

"A little is normal, but excessive efflorescence will lead to the deterioration of the masonry and mortar if left unchecked, which is especially harmful if its taking place along your foundation, and is an indication of a moisture problem that will only get worse if left unchecked. Excessive efflorescence around a fireplace or chimney may be a sign of a compromised flue liner, so have a chimney inspector check your chimney for cracks or deterioration in the flue liner."

Warm Ash Vacuum Makes Cleaning the Fireplace Easy

Tired of sweeping the ashes out of the fireplace or the wood stove yourself?  It sure does make a mesh when you're doing it that way.  You have to wait for the ashes to be completely cold, too, else you risk starting a fire.  This can be inconvenient (I'm talking about the waiting, not the fire starting... that's always inconvenient) if you're using your stove as your sole source for heat.  For a couple hundred dollars, you could invest in a warm-ash vacuum, specifically designed for the task.

This Cheetah warm ash vacuum not only does the sucking for you, but it is specifically designed to handle still-warm ashes, as well as cool ones.  It has a fire-proof steel chamber that holds the ashes, so you don't have to deal with the hassle of vacuum bags.  It's available for $220 from Amazon:

Warm Ash Vacuum

Time to Inspect Your Fireplace

Now that autumn is in full force, it's time to get the annual fireplace inspection done (this is especially true if you've forgotten to do the "annual fireplace inspection" the last few years).  If you're going to be burning any fires this winter, you want to make sure your chimney and everything is in good shape.

Before you start to use your fireplace for the season, have a professional inspect it.  A cleaning is a good idea, too, since over time creosote builds up in the flue, and it is a fire hazard.  A chimney fire can do a lot of damage in a short amount of time, so it is definitely to be avoided.

In addition to having the inside of the chimney cleaned and inspected, you should check the exterior as well.  Make sure there are no suspicious cracks or signs that the chimney is breaking away from the foundation. 

Make sure the spark arrestor (the part that prevents sparks and embers from escaping through the top of the chimney) is in good condition.  Spark arrestors are particularly vulnerable from birds and weather.  If you find any damage, make sure to include this in the repairs you do before burning your first fire of the season.

Water Running Down the Chimney?

If you are having a problem with water running down the inside of your chimney and accumulating in the fireplace, here's a post for you. 

The problem probably stems from a bad crown on top of a masonry chimney.  Usually the crown is a top made from concrete that is angled to shed water (it overhangs the brick portion to keep drips from running down the chimney sides).  This structure surrounds but does not encase the clay flues.  The problem of water leaking usually comes in older homes.  Before the mid-1980s, chimney crowns were simply sloped washes put together with leftover mortar.  These crowns can crack and deteriorate, which leaves gaps around the flues.  This is what causes the leaking.  Some people believe adding chimney caps will solve the problem, but if you have a bad crown that might not be enough.

The solution?  If you are comfortable going up on your roof, head up and check the crown.  Use polyurethane to caulk any cracks or gaps you find.  If you're not comfortable on the roof, call a pro.  Check in the yellow pages under "Chimney Builders and Repair" or even under "Chimney Cleaning" for a weep who can handle the problem.

Source:  "Water Down the Chimney" from the Dec/Jan 2006 issues of the Family Handyman

Chimney Sweep Scams

A recent article from United Press Internation warns of chimney sweepers who are scamming homeowners.  They entice you to hire them by offering chimney cleaning at a low price (i.e. $39.95) when most chimney sweeps charge $100-$175 (depending on your area).  The scammers may or may not clean your chimney, then they "often scare people about carbon monoxide poisoning that requires several thousands of dollars to repair. "It's like, 'Lucky we're here, or you would've been dead by Friday.'"

Like anything else, it's a good idea to get referrels before hiring a chimney sweep.

Original article: Scammers Among Chimney Sweeps

Getting Rid of Fireplace Odors

What's that smell coming from your living room?  That lingering odor of old soot and ashes? Ah, it's your fireplace.  Even after a cleaning, fireplaces can smell.  I came across a site selling something called ExStink (gee, I never thought I'd be talking about a product with "stink" in the title) that's supposed to get rid of fireplace odors.  The company also says their product handles: mildew odors and pet odors.  You can check out their website at, appropriately, http://www.exstink.com.

Here's something to keep in mind though.  Fireplace odors may be indicative of a problem with your fireplace.  Burning Secrets, an online book from Chimneys.com, has a section on troubleshooting.  At http://www.chimneys.com/burnsec/chapter7.html#TroublesFireplaces they list all sorts of problems like fireplace odors and tell you the likely culprits. 

Cleaning the Soot off Fireplace Brick/Stone

To remove grease, dirt, and soot build up from the bricks or stones in or around your fireplace, you can use this simple homemade solution: Make a mixture of 1 cup laundry detergent flakes and 4 cups hot water, then add a half pound of powdered pumice (available at hardware stores like Home Depot).  To this mixture, add 1/2 cup of ammonia.  Now you are ready to clean.  Use a brush with stiff bristles to apply the mixture to the dirty bricks and scrub, rinse, and repeat, until the area is clean.

Source: Home Improvement Tips