Posts Tagged ‘chimney fire’
Fires Return
Our chimney is fixed! What joy! But I don’t see how Santa is ever going to fit down it now.
It was back in the middle of October when we had our fireplace and chimney inspected, which I wrote about at the time in a post titled, “Important Inspection.”
They discovered evidence of there having been a chimney fire sometime in the past, which resulted in cracking of the original clay tiles lining the chimney.
Never fear, that company just so happens to also install chimney liners, for a (not so) small fee. At least they provide clear photographic evidence of the areas of concern, which our insurance company accepted without hesitation. Our repairs were covered in full, after we pay the (not so small) deductible amount on our policy.
This project benefited from the wonderful luck of the original chimney dimensions being large enough to make it one of the easiest installations possible, according to the guys.
They installed sections of stainless steel tubing inside the old clay tiles from the top of the chimney and didn’t need to break out any of the existing structure to complete the job.
A cement rated for high temperature is also used around the outside of the tube. Everything gets sealed and then checked for leaks. When they finished our installation, one of the guys burned some paper in the fireplace to verify the draft was good, and that was that.
It was instantly available for use. That meant I needed to haul some wood!
Cyndie and I filled the rack on the deck with one fully-stacked row of split logs from the wood shed. I had mixed emotions about the excitement of finally making use of wood that has been drying for a full year, and comical distress over seeing the stores in the wood shed decline at such a rapid rate.
I also found myself surprised over how moving it felt to have a fire in the fireplace once again. It has been almost 2 months since we learned of the problem, and at the time of year when we especially cherish the return of this cozy enhancement.
It refocuses the energy center on our main floor back to the special space that functions as our “living room,” with the couch providing a vantage point that takes in the fireplace centerpiece, as well as the doors and windows on either side providing views of the great outdoors beyond.
It doesn’t hurt that we just so happen to be undergoing a magical transformation into a Christmas wonderland this weekend, as a result of Cyndie’s never-ending visionary efforts.
I think the addition of last night’s fire provided her with just the right spark as a bonus.
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Important Inspection
We had our fireplace and chimney inspected yesterday. Closely inspected, this time, with a video camera dropped down the chimney even. In the 3 years we have lived here, we have had the chimney cleaned twice.
The first time was just to give us a fresh start, and the second time was because we wanted him back to follow up on some cracked fire bricks he said he could replace. Unfortunately, he didn’t do any thorough inspecting, so all we really got was a cleaner flue and false sense of security.
Having used this fireplace for 3 years now, I’m aware of areas where the firebox seems a bit worn out. When I spotted an ad in the local free paper for a discount price on fireplace inspections, I suggested to Cyndie we call them up.
They were more than happy to schedule an appointment with us, even though (we later learned) the advertised service was for electric fireplaces only. They kindly referred us to a company that could look at our old Kozy Heat and would do a video inspection of the flue.
I’m sure glad we followed through with this, because the guy discovered evidence indicating there had likely been a chimney fire at some point, and one of the results of that is a cracked flue lining. 
He pulled some scary looking chunks of creosote from the smoke shelf, which he said showed signs of having melted and boiled, which occurs with fire in the chimney.
We will be making an appointment to have a new lining installed, and until then, will be burning no fires in there.
I sure am grateful that I spotted that initial ad which prompted me to initiate this process. The fireplace is one of the areas of a home that should never be left to neglect.
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Relative Something 