Tips and Tricks...

Chimney Tips...

What type of chimney do you have in your house? There are two major types of chimney that you may have in your house.

The first type of chimney is Masonry. If your fireplace seems to have been built of brick and mortar and you can see bricks where the chimney exits the roof- your chimney is most likely masonry, especially if you see no chimney cap on top. If you see a round cap at the termination of the chimney it is probably the second type. Masonry chimneys are a real asset to your house. If maintained they should last as long as the house. Think of the pictures of house fires where the only thing left standing is the masonry chimney. To build a new masonry chimney may cost as much as $25,000.

The second type of chimney is commonly referred to as Zero Clearance. This type of chimney is attached to a premanufactured fireplace and is either triple wall pipe or double wall packed pipe. Many modern houses come with zero clearance fireplaces which are inexpensive to install compared to masonry. Some zero clearance chimney are installed inside a brick chase [enclosure].

Cover your chimney. The most common damage we find when we inspect chimneys is water damage. Water gets down into the smoke chamber in masonry chimneys. This can soak into the firebrick at the back of the fireplace. When you have a fire the water turns to steam and literally explodes the brick causing cracks and loosening the mortar. We can repair this but you can avoid it by installing a chimney cap. A cap also keeps critters out of your chimney. Even squirrels can cause major damage in your house trying to get out after falling down the chimney. A raccoon is a different matter.

Ft. Collins has become a haven for raccoons...

With the maturing of Ft. Collins neighborhoods raccoon population has increased many fold. With the many trees and abundant water for them they consider the city ideal, and your chimney can become a five star resort. A mama raccoon considers most masonry chimneys as an ideal "hollow tree" in which to establish a den and raise a little family. Along with health considerations [they can carry many serious diseases] they can be very destructive. One customer told us of over $30,000 in damage caused by one of these "cute" creatures.

We can usually chase raccoons out of your smoke chamber but sometimes things happen that can't be foreseen. At the time of this writing we are preparing to extract a raccoon that went down an unconventional chimney, got stuck and died at the bottom with her leg wedged in a section of black chimney pipe. We will have to cut this one out.

You can get "universal" caps at hardware stores. That means they fit a lot of different sized chimney flues. These caps are not of a very high quality, but they will do the job as long as they last. They generally are not raccoon proof.

We will install a Stainless Steel [lifetime guaranteed] cap that fits your chimney and a raccoon will give up and move on to the next "den". With such a wide selection of "dens" why get yourself worked up over that particular one. Our price includes installation and taxes.

Dryer Vents...

The Uniform Mechanical Code is the authority on installing dryer vents. That code states that the run for the vent shall not be more than 13 feet if it has two 90 degree elbows. They must composed of solid duct material assembled without screws [duct tape only]. Flexible materials are allowed in the same room with the dryer and are to extend no more than 6 feet. Under no circumstances should flex be used in the wall or through the house. The vent may not be vented into a garage, crawl space or attic.

Using the white plastic flex to attach your dryer to the vent may void the warrantee with some dryer manufacturers.

If your dryer is taking longer than 45-60 minutes to dry, depending on the load you may need to have the vent cleaned. If it is uncomfortable to place your hand on the top of the dryer after it has been running for 15 minutes you probably need to clean your vent.

Never put window screen over the outside vent to prevent birds and insects from entering the vent. This will plug up the first time you use the dryer. We can install proper flowing vents on the termination of the duct.